Preheat oven to 500°F. In a bowl, place the peaches, blueberries, 1 cup of the sugar, and the lemon juice, toss to coat well. Pour all but 2 cups of the fruit into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover reserved fruit, and refrigerate. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, and reserve. Bury the vanilla pod in the fruit in the baking dish and arrange 4 tablespoons of the butter pieces on top. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after about 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack; discard vanilla pod.

Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream remaining sugar and butter until very smooth. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. On low speed, add flour mixture to the batter in three stages, alternating with the milk. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25 minutes, until a tester inserted into middle comes out clean. Let cool, then unmold cake. With a long serrated knife, carefully slice the cake horizontally into three layers. Line a clean 9-inch cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of wrap overhanging. Place bottom layer of cake in pan, cut side up. Using a slotted spoon, layer half of the cooled fruit over cake. Top with middle layer of cake, and spoon on remaining fruit: reserve fruit juices. Cover with the top cake layer, cut side down. Press gently on the cake, and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap. Chill cake for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, unmold cake and garnish each slice with a generous drizzle of the reserved fruit juices, the reserved raw fruit and a dollop of whipped cream. Top with mint sprigs.



Yield: 10-12 servings
  • 6 large ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 6 cups blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 vanilla bean
  • 8 Tablespoons butter in small pieces
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Whipped, clabbered or heavy cream, for garnish
  • Mint sprigs, for garnish



 
Tokaji 4 Puttonyos, Royal Tokaji Wine Company, Hungary 1995