Cheese

Crème fraîche or sour cream gives the scrambled eggs a rich, creamy texture. Toasted breadcrumbs and a grating of cheese are delicious finishing touches.

Thinly shaving the asparagus gives the familiar vegetable a new look—and a delicate taste. Because the asparagus is shaved so thinly, there is no need to cook it.

You'll get about five cups of preserves from this recipe. Try leftovers alongside soft cheeses or over vanilla ice cream. Fresh ricotta is available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

This side dish of silky mashed potatoes sweetened with pumpkin (left over from Pumpkin Muffins ), seasoned with fresh sage, and laced with melty strands of Fontina cheese is full of favorite autumnal flavors. But, surprisingly, it's the cider vinegar that really makes this dish sing—just a tablespoon of this stealth ingredient adds a roundness that ties the whole dish together. We love it with pork chops or turkey cutlets.

Hungry guests still rubbing the sleep from their eyes will be delighted to encounter this satisfying spin on that old diner favorite, the Western omelet. But it's just as nice for dinner, served with some roasted potatoes and a salad. This frittata is a great one to have in your recipe arsenal when you're faced with some leftover breakfast sausage (from our Sausage-Stuffed Potatoes with Green Salad, for example).

Our ten–minute Crab Salad isn't the only easy way to use tarragon. Here, the fragrant herb, along with a dollop of cream cheese, adds elegance to scrambled eggs. Don't relegate this wonderful dish to the breakfast table—served with a small green salad and a glass of white wine, it makes a delicious weeknight dinner.

Stirring homemade chutney (left over from Country Pâté with Pineapple Chutney) into softened cream cheese makes an easy and irresistibly bright spread. A topping of crunchy curried walnuts gilds the lily and also plays up the chutney's cheery color.

This riff on a jalousie, a type of sweet whose top pastry lets you peek at the sweet filling within, features golden puff pastry filled with stripes of sweetened cream cheese and lush guava paste. Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau conceived of this pastry as a dessert, but it would also make a decadent breakfast treat.

Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush the fennel seeds. Fresh mozzarella can be found at many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

In his "A Tuscan Son" menu, Tony Oltranti serves Polenta with Franklin's Teleme as a smooth, soft base for his roast chicken. This recipe takes polenta in a different direction—cooked with sage, rosemary, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, the polenta is then cooled, cut into sticks, and broiled until the outer edges of the "fries" are golden and crisp, a fine contrast to the creamy interior. Serve them with a fried egg and a salad for a vegetarian lunch, or pair them with something saucy like chicken fricassee.

This delicious dessert requires a little bit of planning. The day before baking the cheesecake, drain the ricotta in the fridge. Once the cheesecake is baked, it needs to chill one day to firm up. For the proper texture, be sure to use fresh ricotta cheese; it's available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

The Original: Filling made from ground beef simmered in a spicy tomato sauce. Our Version: Tender pieces of pork simmered with roasted green chiles and salsa verde.

Just a couple of chopped anchovy fillets deepen the flavor of this simple starter.

The Original: Breaded, fried eggplant with a thick oregano-flavored tomato sauce. Our Version: Broiled slices of eggplant wrapped around a mint-and chard-flecked ricotta filling.

Fresh Key limes add a delicious tang to the filling. And the finishing touch? A crown of perfectly browned meringue. Timing note: The finished pie needs to chill for at least an hour before serving.

The classic Italian sauce gets wild with a mix of antelope, venison, and beef.

The Original: Eggs baked (or poached) in a spicy tomato sauce. Our Version: A heartier (and healthier) meal, thanks to the addition of artichoke hearts and potatoes.