Summer still

Because autumn does not arrive until Tuesday, I slip in a version of this summer cake from "Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More," by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson. It hits the spot.

Stone Fruit Tea Cake

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, for pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mixed stone fruit, fresh or frozen
1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir just until a smooth dough forms.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a 1-inch-thick disk and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow 10-inch round baking pan or tart pan.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and pat one portion evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the fruit over the dough. Break the remainder of the dough into tablespoon-size pieces and distribute atop the fruit, then sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the dessert.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm. Cool for 30 minutes before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Food matters

On the table: Cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches from the Dollar Menu at McDonald's. It is a last-minute but convenient lunch, coupled with baked apple pies and strong cravings - left unsatisfied - for high-sodium french fries.

On the reading list, ironically: Mark Bittman's book "Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating." In it, he advocates "sane eating." He suggests, for example, we consume less meat, certainly less fast food, more vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains.

Next time, we do better.

In the Sunday paper

Nigel Slater has a book on gardening, "Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch," coming soon, and offers a substantial excerpt in The Observer.

Among the best paragraphs:

"The beauty of a single lettuce, its inner leaves tight and crisp, the outer ones opened up like those of a cottage garden rose; the glowing saffron flesh of a cracked pumpkin; the curling tendrils of a pea plant... a bag of assorted tomatoes in shades of scarlet, green and orange is something I like to take time over.

"And not only is it the look of them that is beguiling. The rough feel of a runner bean between the fingers, the childish pop of a pea pod, the inside of a fur-lined broad-bean case, the cool vellum-like skin of a freshly dug potato are all reason to linger. And all this even before we have turned the oven on..."

This is exciting. I like Slater even more than I like Jamie Oliver, and we know how much I like Jamie Oliver.