The gnocchi were definitely great, but they didn't go through nearly enough ricotta. What do you do with 3/4 of a tub of ricotta, especially when you've had a gigantic cheesy pasta thing already? I suppose there is always the freezer. It's really easy to freeze a lasagna. There is also, you know, sucking it up and actually eating more delicious pasta things. I mean, gracious me! We can't do that! I will probably do that tomorrow.

Ricotta is mild enough that you can use it for other things, though. You can, for instance, use it in place of mascarpone. I don't think I've ever had mascarpone anyway; certainly I've never cooked with it. I have had cheesecake and other cheese-oriented dessert wonders, though. You can clearly use ricotta in a sweeter setting.

With this in mind, I went to the store and bought a pint of black figs and a stick of sourdough.

This is barely even a recipe; it's just cutting things up and spreading them around. Then it looks like the fanciest thing on the planet. You win.

Ricotta with figs

good bread
ricotta cheese
honey
figs
black pepper

Cut your bread into appropriate slices. Spread some ricotta onto each. Well, now we only have half the tub left.

Get a spoon and drizzle a bunch of honey over each bit of bread. Try to stay in the middle or you'll end up covered in goo when you start eating. Or maybe you want to get covered in goo, in which case get honey everywhere. Whatever.

Cut up some figs and lay the slices over each piece of bread. The honey will stick them securely on. Figs are pretty sticky anyway, but still.

Grind black pepper over the plate and eat.

Seriously, use the pepper. It makes everything else pop; it has the same effect as salt used well.

This is definitely the kind of thing you want to lie around eating on a saturday afternoon with a bottle of decent dry white wine. Figs and honey are mild enough that the whole business is barely sweet; it's just sticky and decadent.