PEACH BLUEBERRY CAKE

This cake bakes for a long time at a moderate temperature, which helps
keep the ripe fruit from bursting and releasing its juices. The
easy-to-make pastry bakes up moist and crumbly, with a texture that's
like a cross between a biscuit and a cake.

For pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
For filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), halved lengthwise, pitted, and
each half cut lengthwise into fourths
1 cup blueberries (1/2 pint)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) springform pan; an
electric coffee/spice grinder

Make pastry:
Pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food
processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture
resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until dough clumps and begins to
form a ball, about 15 pulses.
Press dough onto bottom and evenly (about 1/4 inch thick) all the way
up side of springform pan with floured fingertips. Chill pastry in pan
until firm, about 10 minutes.

Make filling while pastry chills:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375=B0F.

Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until
tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining
6 tablespoons sugar. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and
gently toss to coat. Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely
covered with a sheet of foil, until filling is bubbling in center and
crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.

Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, 20 minutes, then
carefully remove side of pan.

Cool cake to barely warm or room temperature, then cut into thick
wedges with a sharp knife before serving.

Cooks' note:
Pastry can be made and pressed into pan 1 day ahead and chilled,
wrapped well in plastic wrap. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes
before filling.

Makes 8 servings.