Plum Upside-Down Cake with Thyme, Lemon, and Fennel

Ingredients

• 2 ½ ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• 8 to 10 large ripe plums, cut in quarters
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ cup cornmeal or instant polenta
• + 11 more ingredients
• • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted
  • 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • Zest of 3 lemons (approximately 1 heaping tablespoon)
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons anise liqueur, such as Sambuca or Pernod
  • ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium heat until bubbling. Add the sprigs of thyme and continue cooking over medium heat until the thyme releases it scent, about 1 minute.To the saute pan, add brown sugar and cook until foamy, stirring often to prevent the sug...

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