Stone Fruit Almond Upside-Down Cake

Back in the days when there was no Food Network, I got my cooking fix watching Julia Child and Sara Moulton.  Watching those shows was my son Philip's introduction to gourmet cooking, and sparked an interest in cooking that has led him to an interesting career.  But I digress.  I enjoyed Sara because she actually taught you HOW to cook, techniques that a home cook could use everyday.  Sara can still be seen on PBS, and she writes for the AP.  Here's a recipe I recently saw in the UT.  I was having my son David, wife Tracy and grandson Calvin here for a barbeque, and wanted to make a great summer dessert.  Here it is.  It was so simple, even though it looks like a lot of steps.  The hardest part was finding the almond paste at my local market.  The fruit you use is your choice.  I had peaches and plums in the house, so I used a combination of the two.

                 Stone Fruit Almond Upside-Down Cake

10 T unsalted butter, softened
3 T brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I used the pure vanilla that I purchased on my last trip)
1 pound stone fruit, pitted and cut into wedges.
4 ounces almond paste
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 c. apricot jam
whipped cream or ice cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then combine 2 T. of the butter, brown sugar and 1 tsp of the vanilla extract.  Lightly grease the sides of an 8X8 square pan, and spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Arrange the fruit wedges in a single layer on top of the sugar mixture.

In a food processor combine the almond paste and sugar.  Process until finely ground, then transfer to a large bowl, add the butter and beat with electric mixture until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt, and add to the almond mixture until just combined.  Spoon batter over fruit, spreading evenly.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack.  Heat apricot jam and 1 T. water until jam is melted and smooth.  Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert on a serving platter.  Brush the fruit with jam.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.  Enjoy.