You don't even need to blanch them if you like more texture. What remains is a cake that takes about five minutes to make, is gluten-free and low in sugar, has a slightly sweet, nutty flavour and has the airy, slightly chewy texture of the much more labour-intensive madeleine. And because the cake is so straightforward in flavour, it goes well with any sort of fruit you desire. On this particular occasion, I used my, by now, very ripe plums. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. To make the cake, you will need half a cup of melted butter that has cooled slightly. Put one cup of ground almonds and half a cup of icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. And the melted butter, and then add one whole egg and the whites of two more. Stir to mix everything together. The batter will be tacky, so you will need a spatula to scrape it onto the cookie sheet -- do not worry if it does not spread to the edges. Put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it is golden brown around the edges. While the cake is in the oven, remove the stones from about 10 plums and put them in a shallow pan with one cup of Lillet . Add two sprigs of fresh thyme and, depending on the ripeness of the fruit, some honey to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn down