Far breton with prunes

Butter a gratin dish (or individual dishes, tart molds or a moule à manqué) with soft butter.

Put the prunes, rum and 3 cups of milk in a saucepan and heat on medium until almost boiling; turn off the heat.

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, a tiny pinch of salt and the baking powder; make a well.

Lift the prunes out of the milk with a skimmer, keeping them intact, and spread them over the bottom of the dish.

Whisk the eggs into the well one at a time to keep the batter smooth and lump-free, then slowly add the hot milk; skim off the foam.

Ladle the batter over the prunes without moving them.

Bake 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 450F (about 220C).

Turn down to 350 and bake about another 40 minutes until golden brown on top and a dry toothpick comes out dry.

Cool about 20 minutes, then refrigerate at least six hours; it puffs while baking and sinks as it cools.

Serve from the dish at the table or plated.