"A sweet, simple pleasure, this ricotta and black cherry (or sour cherry) tart has its origins in Rome’s Jewish ghetto, but is now a crowd-pleaser on trattoria menus across the city. One of the best places to try it in Rome is at Pasticceria il Boccione, the famous Jewish bakery in Via del Portico d’Ottavia. Theirs is said to be the original recipe, dating back to the 18th century." Recipe by Maria Pasquale.

This ricotta-filled cake is topped off with coffee, caramel and hazelnut flavours, making it the ultimate decadent dessert.

This chocolate torta Caprese is the answer to your gluten-free prayers. The traditional Italian almond and chocolate cake, topped with a vanilla ricotta and amaretto chocolate sauce, is by far the best thing you'll taste this week.

“This classic ricotta torte is made with pasta frolla, a soft, crumbly, sweet short pastry” - Phoebe Wood.

This torta di riso with ricotta and cherries is what every rice pudding wishes it could be.

This herb and ricotta loaf will hit the spot, any time of day. You will need a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan for this recipe.

“The rhubarb can be cooked a day ahead; the flavour deepens overnight," says Matt Moran.

This keeps up to 4 days chilled, and spiced quinces can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months. You can also keep the polenta crust refrigerated for 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Begin this recipe 1 day ahead. This is an edited extract from Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books, $45).

This golden pasta bake is great for a winter night in.

This poached egg, chorizo, and white beans dish will be the reason why you wake up for breakfast. And the whipped ricotta will be the reason you make it again, and again.

"This uses a super-simple sauce the family will love. It's like a hug from your nonna," says Dominic Smith.

Mitch Orr's olive oil cake is the savoury treat of your dreams. Best served with coffee, at morning or afternoon tea.

"This cake is an interpretation of the classic sweet pumpkin pie. A subtly sweet spiced cake is layered with a whipped ricotta cream and a drizzle or Marsala," says Kirsten Jenkins.

“This is the simplest of tarts – free-form and so understanding if you don’t have time to make the pastry yourself, even though this pastry is almost easier than opening a packet. If you go with bought pastry, sprinkle the inside liberally with grated parmesan and press it in.” - Matt Preston. This is an edited extract from More by Matt Preston, published by Plum, $39.99, with photography by Mark Roper.

Ricotta and bread in a salad sounds pretty good to us.