Fontina

Sformato D'Asparagi con Fonduta This savory flan has an intense asparagus flavor. Its texture is unusually tender for a flan, without a trace of egginess.

Polenta is layered with Fontina cheese and cream in this decadent casserole. Offer it with the sausages and tomato sauce, or on its own as a brunch or lunch dish.

More sophisticated than macaroni and cheese—and just as good. Use a cheese slicer to make the very thin slices of Fontina called for here.

Creamy potatoes are baked in a casserole.

In this dish from La Belle Vie in Stillwater, Minnesota, the asparagus could be broiled if that's more convenient.

Karla Medina of League City, Texas, writes: "At a food festival in downtown Houston, I had a sampler plate from Carmelo's Italian Restaurant. The eggplant Parmesan and spicy meatballs were very good, but the polenta was out of this world. I'd love to know how they prepared it."

"I spend as much time as I can cooking," writes Brigette Lyons of Allendale, New Jersey, "and I'm equally comfortable feeding two or two hundred. I thoroughly enjoy giving sit-down meals, including an annual Christmas luncheon I do for about twenty guests. I just like to cook, period. Cooking for two hundred may be different from making weeknight dinners for myself and my husband, John, but organization is the key to both. I try to keep things on hand that are simple and easy to prepare." Brigette prepares this dish for her annual Christmas luncheon. It's ideal for entertaining because it can be assembled ahead and baked just before serving.

If you have leftover roast chicken or turkey, use it here and save a step. You'll need 3 cups of shredded meat.

Roasted poblano chilies add a wonderful smoky flavor to this pizza; however, if they are not available in your area just omit them from the recipe.

Healthy bonus: Vitamin C and beta-carotene from the squash

This strata is ideal for Christmas morning — it is assembled a day ahead and baked just before serving. Mimosas are a nice addition to the menu.

With salty-sweet miso butter, chives, and savory flakes of nori, this cheesy sweet potato gratin recipe bears little resemblance to traditional versions.

This easy, no-roux mac and cheese recipe is made almost entirely on the stovetop and then gets transferred to the oven to melt the cheesy topping.

Love cottage cheese? You’ll love this lasagna. Hate cottage cheese? You’ll still love this lasagna.

This homemade mac and cheese is our Platonic ideal: It is deeply cheesy and creamy and has a crunchy crust. Plus, it doubles easily for a crowd.