This is beautifully smooth and satisfying without being too heavy. The jammy bites of plum are a wonderful addition, but it would be lovely without them - I know I'm posting this when they've already gone out of season.
Ingredients
1¼ c flour
⅔ c sugar
¼ tsp salt
4 c whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
5 damson plums, halved and pitted
Method
Preheat your oven to 425F. Generously oil a 10" cast iron pan, dutch oven, or other baking vessel that can withstand the heat of a burner on your stovetop. Don't worry about lining it. Set aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until the batter is smooth.
Put your baking vessel on the stove, and heat it until the pan sizzles when you sprinkle in a few drops of water. Pour in about ½ cup of batter, swirling until the bottom of the pan is coated. Cook briefly until the custard is set and remove from the heat.
Carefully arrange the halved plums in the pan (one half is a snack for you!), then gently pour over the remaining custard.
Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. The custard will puff quite a bit - don't let it scare you! Reduce the heat to 375F and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes until the custard is set.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing.