Today's recipe offering is a breakfast/brunch idea. It's a baked egg and heavy cream dish, with fresh herbs, cheeses and other delights, with a neat little trick for preventing all the fillings from settling to the bottom of the baking dish. This one is a seafood fritatta, but you can springboard from the basic elements to make it any flavor you wish.

1 8” glass baking dish, 2 ½ inches deep
8 large eggs
4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp fresh, chopped thyme
1 tsp fresh, chopped sage
1 tsp fresh, chopped tarragon or summer savory
2 tsp fresh, chopped parsley
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 8 oz container goat cheese (I recommend VBC Creamy Goat Cheese)
½ cup diced tomato
¼ cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 bunches of scallions, chopped
½ lb scallops
½ lb par-cooked lobster meat, chopped
salt and white pepper to taste
¼ lb cooked cappelini (angel hair pasta)

Spray the cooking dish with a vegetable spray. Line it with the cooked pasta. Spread the peppers, tomato and scallions over and through the pasta. Do the same thing with the scallops and the lobster meat. Spread the goat cheese evenly from side to side on and over the seafood. The pasta will keep the fillings spread evenly throughout, rather than settled on the bottom.

Beat the eggs well, and add the heavy cream. Beat further, and blend in the fresh herbs. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Be mindful that the cheeses will provide some salt, though.

Pour the egg-cream mix over everything. It should cover all of the filling. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Check to see if the middle has set. The sides will puff, and the center will begin to rise as it sets. You'll want to take it out while the center is still wiggly (how's that for a technical term) because the fritatta will continue to cook after it comes out of the oven. I like mine to be somewhat loose, just as I like my scrambled eggs to be loose and very moist. If you don't, leave it in longer. Flavor will begin to diminish the more well done your fritatta is, though.

This is a staple in my house for Sunday morning gatherings, although I'm more likely to use chicken, or more vegetables, rather than scallops and lobster. Experiment, have fun, and choose fillings that please you for your own variation on this dish.

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There'll be lots of cooking going on in home kitchens next week and for the next month with holiday celebrations and family gatherings. Home cooks will be looking for shortcuts, things made easy, especially when they have large groups to feed. This recipe cuts against that grain, but you really should do yourself a favor.

You can pick up a can of cranberry relish, and the labor consists simply of opening it to serve. Or, you could make your own. This is a very easy version, labor-unintensive, and the results are terrific.

2 lbs whole cranberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup bourbon
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbl Dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh sage

Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer softly until the liquid has disappeared. Remove to a bowl and allow to cool.

The berries will burst, of course, and the consistency will be almost jam-like. If you think you'd like it sweeter, you can increase the brown sugar measurement a little, maybe another half-cup.

When I was cooking professionally, I used this relish as a sandwich spread with grilled chicken, muenster cheese and a little pesto mayonnaise on focaccia bread at one hotel where I worked. It's a great sandwich, and you should try it.

This relish will last, covered, in the refrigerator for a week. I'll be making this next week, myself, for Thanksgiving dinner, and I hope you will, too. Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

No portion of this article may be reprinted or republished without the express written permission of the copyright holder.