Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 - 8 slices canned pineapple (reserve juice)

6 - 8 maraschino cherries

1/2  cup pecans

3 egg yolks (reserve whites)

1 cup sugar

5 Tbsp. pineapple juice

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3 stiffly beaten egg whites

Melt butter in a heavy oven-proof skillet.   An iron frying pan is good.   Add brown sugar and mix well.  Lay slices of pineapple in a pattern in pan, put a cherry in the center of each and add nuts.  Beat egg yolks, add sugar and pineapple juice.  Mix well.  Sift together flour and baking powder.  Stir into egg mixture.  Fold in egg whites.  Pour over pineapple in skillet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until cake tests done.  Let cool slightly, then invert onto large plate.  Let sit for 10 minutes and remove pan.

Variations:  Use peaches, pears, blueberries, etc., fresh, frozen, or canned instead of pineapple.  My tastes have changed and the last I made this it tasted mighty sweet. Try using less sugar in the pan, or omit sugar entirely and use guava paste with the butter.

This recipe was given to me by Debbie Quaranta, a friend from St. George Island.  She brought it to dinner at our beach house one evening and it was gone before the pan cooled.