Blue Plate Special

“When I was growing up, we always opened our presents on Christmas Eve,” recalls Austin caterer Jane Lilly Schotz. “A big festive breakfast the next morning gave us something else to look forward to.” Lilly and Company’s American- melting-pot menu for six—a reinterpretation of the familiar country-fried wake-up call—is one of flavorful, comfortable innovation. Instead of passing around a basket of biscuits, Lilly suggests pear-and-cranberry gingerbread and Scottish scones chock-full of coarsely ground pecans. Peppery Italian sausage, crumbled and scrambled with eggs and new potatoes, sounds yet another homey note. Finish off the meal with a sweet and tangy citrus salad, its caramel sauce laced with mint. With a wholesome spread like this, who needs presents anyway?