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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