Tana B. - 03:21 pm PDT - Jul 7, 2000 -#3561

You asked about plums...here is my recipe for Peach-Plum Clafoutis, which can be used with plums alone. Clafoutis, for the uninitiated, is somewhere between cobbler and upside-down cake. This recipe is incredibly simple, and you cannot believe the aroma that will waft throughout your house. Viva summer!

Peach-Plum Clafoutis

4 cups chopped peaches 4 cups plums (or raspberries or blueberries) 2 cups ground almonds 1-1/2cups all-purpose flour 1-1/3cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt

6 eggs, slightly beaten 1-1/2 cups milk (Note: you can substitute peach nectar for half the milk) 4 teaspoons melted butter melted butter for the pan 4 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup brown sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9"x13" baking dish. Evenly distribute fruit over bottom of pan; set aside.

Coarsely grind 1 cup of almonds. In a largish bowl, combine ground almonds, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine beaten eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla, stir until blended. Add to dry ingredients, stir until mixed.

Pour batter over fruit in dish; make sure all fruit is covered with batter. Sprinkle with remaining cup of almonds and top with crumbled brown sugar.

Bake 50-minutes to one hour or until top is browned and puffy (note: make sure it's cooked all the way through in this doubled version; if necessary, cover top with foil until inside is cooked through to prevent burning of topping).

Variations: substitute pitted, dark, sweet cherries for berries, and add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to batter.