Ricotta

(Tartelettes Feuilletées à la Rhubarbe et au Ricotta) At La Bastide Odéon, these are served with almond ice cream. Begin making the dessert one day ahead so that the rhubarb can drain overnight.

This creamy mixture of spinach, cheese and basil is an unforgettable side dish.

Here, eggplant stands in for the pasta.

Elisa Mazzaferro-Rosenberg of Fort Collins, Colorado, writes: "I love to entertain, but between coming home late — I just completed my Ph.D. in small animal clinical sciences — and feeding my husband, Adam, I haven't had the time to have friends over much. I do manage to cook for holidays, though, and one of my favorite things is ricotta pie. This version, from my grandma Elsie, is a traditional Easter sweet on both sides of my Italian family."

Slightly sweet, fresh ricotta, which can be found in many Italian markets, makes this starter especially delicious. Regular ricotta also works well.

Potsticker wrappers are a quick substitute for the homemade dough used at the Chelsea Grill.

This is a fabulous pudding-like dessert that's very easy to make.

Cream cheese was added to the ricotta for this smooth, luscious dessert. But if you can find fresh ricotta, which is less grainy than some of the commercial types, use it and omit the cream cheese.

This recipe is best made with fresh ricotta, which is very dry and flavorful. If you cannot find fresh ricotta, use 2 cups supermarket whole-milk ricotta and drain it (see below).

Kevin Graham, of Graham's in New Orleans, occasionally adds a Parmesan sauce to go with the tomato cream.

The base of the tart is purchased puff pastry, which makes this dish — served as an appetizer at Lucques — as easy as it is delicious. With the addition of a soup, it could also be a lovely lunch or supper.

At her restaurant, Lynch includes black truffle in the vinaigrette for this salad, but it's so flavorful as it is that we didn't feel the truffle was necessary.

Honey flavors both the syrup and the filling in these delicate pastries. In the Middle East they are usually stuffed with nuts or cheese. Mozzarella is included in this version, which may seem unusual in a sweet filling, but it prevents the ricotta from becoming runny. The pine nuts are like little eggs resting in their nests.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.