Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup milk, melted butter and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Alternately beat flour mixture into egg mixture in 3 additions and milk mixture in 2 additions, beating well after each addition. Set batter aside.

Combine 3/4 cup milk, brown sugar and diced butter in 8-inch-diameter ceramic souffle dish. Spoon cake batter over brown sugar mixture in souffle dish. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean and syrup is bubbling at edges, about 40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Comments: "My husband and I recently went to Chez Mimi in nearby Santa Monica," writes Randi Fine of Sherman Oaks, California. "We shared a luscious dessert called caramel chomeur, a cake baked atop caramel sauce and served with vanilla ice cream. I"ve searched my cookbooks, but I can"t find a recipe close to it."

Chef Mimi Hebert tells us that this dessert from the Great Depression era was called chomeur (from the French word for "unemployed") because it was inexpensive to make.

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