• Preheat oven to 350°.

  Butter and flour 3 8" cake pans or 2 9" cake pans. Line with parchment paper and re-butter parchment paper.
• Whisk eggs and sugar together, in a bowl, over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until they thicken and come to a temperature of 110°.

  Place mixture in a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until it has tripled in volume.
• Stir flour and salt together.

  Change attachment to paddle and fold in flour 1/3 at a time. Fold until the flour is just mixed in. DO NOT OVER MIX.
• Pour into prepared cake pans.

  Bake until cake start to pull away from sides of pan and is slightly springy to the touch.

  Every oven is different. This should take 25-35 minutes.

Apricots

• In a 10" skillet, melt butter, over a medium heat. Add brown sugar and brandy. WHile constantly stirring, bring to s slow boil.

  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

  Arrange the apricot halves in concentric circles, covering all the sugar/butter.

  Set aside.

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°.

  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.

  In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is fully incorporated.

  Add in vanilla and tarragon.
• Turn mixer to low speed and add flour mixture, alternating with milk, in halves.

  Be careful to not overwork the batter. You can gently finish with a spatula. The batter will be thick.

  Carefully, spread the batter over the apricots, in pan. I use an ice cream scoop to place the batter and then gently spread and smooth evenly over fruit.

  Work gingerly so as not to move fruit around too much. It doesn't have to be perfect.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes. You want your cake to just be starting to pull away from the side of skillet.

  I recently started "listening" to my cakes. If they are bubbling too loud, they are still cooking. You want the center to feel set in the center.

  You can also check internal temp. It shold be around 195°. Remeber it will still bake a little when out of oven.
• Let cool for about 20 minutes, then run knife around edge to loosen cake from pan.

  Carefully, turn cake out onto platter, slightly larger than the pan.

  Garnish with some fresh tarragon or mint.

  Serve while still warm.

• Butter, heavily a 9x13 pan.

  In a large, heavy saucepan, melt butter. I use a dutch oven.

  Add regular marshmallows and stir until melted.

  Remove from heat.

  Add the cereal and stir to coat evenly.

  Stir in almonds, mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips.
• Carefully, with buttered hands and spatula, pat into prepared pan.

  Cool completely then cut in to 3 inch square.

  You can serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrao and store at room temp for up to 2 days.