Far breton aux pruneaux

Soak the prunes ahead in cognac, armagnac, rum, tea or water; remove the stones.

Melt all of the salted butter in a pan and cook to beurre noisette: it foams, goes quiet, browns a little on the bottom and smells of chestnut. Take off the heat and let cool a little.

Combine the flour, all the sugar and the vanilla seeds scraped from the pod. Make a well in the middle.

Add the eggs one or two at a time, working each into the flour from the center into a paste before adding more; no salt, as the butter is salted.

When almost no flour remains, add the milk in two or three additions, incorporating fully each time, to avoid clumps.

Stir in a bit more than a tablespoon of rum. Pass the batter through a sieve.

Stir in the browned butter last, not too warm, so nothing cooks.

Scatter a few soaked prunes in the bottom of a small high-sided pie dish and pour the batter in slowly so the prunes stay put, to about halfway up, since it rises.

Bake at 180C; time varies from 25 to 40-plus minutes depending on the dish and depth.

Let it cool until lukewarm or room temperature; it falls like a souffle. Serve with coffee.