Cheese

Use shaved Parmesan in place of the goat cheese, if you like.

This recipe was created by chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing of the Longbranch in Abita Springs, Louisiana. It's part of a special menu they created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

These pretty frilled-edge rolls conceal a spiral of creamy ricotta and deep-flavored Parmigiano-Reggiano. Roasted tomatoes and eggplant fulfill the promise of lasagne.

Food editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez got the idea of using egg fettuccine in place of lasagne noodles in this deliciously over-the-top lasagne from Mary Ann Castaldi, the mother of her college roommate, who would send her daughter back to school with a giant pan of lasagne after weekends at home.

If you're going to take the time to make fresh pasta, you want to know the dish is worth your while—and these ravioli definitely fit the bill. They're even better with the bubbling sauce of cream, fresh plum tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.

Perfect for entertaining, this gorgeous torta—sheets of delicate crespelle layered with rich besciamella and sweet Italian sausage—won't disappoint. You'll be deliciously rewarded for your effort.

Pasta with butter and mushrooms is appealing all by itself, but the cheesy, garlicky bread crumbs make this dish a showstopper.

Formaggio Crucolo Fuso con Speck e Patate What makes this dish so exceptional is Crucolo, a semisoft cow's-milk cheese, sweet and creamy like a fresh Asiago, that's made by a single producer in Trentino's Valsugana Valley. The region's speck, which comes from the hind leg of the pig, combines Italian salting and drying techniques with the smoke-curing common in Austria, where speck is more like bacon.

Risotta allo Zafferano con Midollo alla Piastra Combining a lovely golden hue with wonderfully beefy depth, this classic risotto alla milanese is hearty enough to stand on its own, but if you really want to be Italian about it, pair it with ossobuco.

Using a freshly made ricotta makes all the difference in these delicious fried morsels.

Inspired by an antipasto that's popular at New York City's Lupa, this substantial salad takes a hearty, rich green that's usually cooked and proves how delicious it can be when served raw.

Versatile store-bought polenta, turned cheesy with mascarpone and Parmigiano, is the simplest way we know to make cornmeal mush sexy.

Pumpkin, packed with vitamin A, proves it has a life after Thanksgiving.

Two of these nutty nibbles are only 225 calories.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. A luscious combination of salty and sweet, these pop-in-your-mouth morsels look especially pretty when arranged on a platter and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

A layer cake with a simple, modern look.

The colors are pale, but the flavors in this winter mix are vivid and fresh.