Jon

Theabroma, your marzipan suggestion sounds delicious, though also scary because we haven't done much with marzipan before. Thanks for helping us thing outside of our accustomed box. Over the weekend we made another test cake, this time with Rose Levy Beranbaum's Silk Meringue Buttercream. It didn't go so well because our cheap candy thermometer is worthless when gauging the temperature of small / shallow batches of anything. I also underestimated the amount of frosting I would need, and ended up with only a messy crumb coat. Of course, this is why testing is necessary. We will forge ahead!

Sure, Jeanne. The curd doesn't seem to be a problem, probably because we're keeping it thin. We've already made a 6" square test cake using about 3 1/2T of curd per layer, and it was fine. The cake layers themselves are thin too, so it all balances out. The cake we did for my parents' anniversary (pic at top) was the same deal, but with mango curd.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. We are already doing some testing, and are thankful to have the time to do more. To answer some questions: There will probably be about 125 guests. We're planning on doing two different flavors of cake split between the tiers; a buttermilk cake with raspberry curd filling, and a chocolate cake with ganache filling, probably with a bit of Chambord in the ganache and/or Chambord syrup spritzed on the cake before assembly. Same frosting over all. It's sounding like we might need a tent or shade fly if it's a sunny day. I just checked with the National Weather Service and learned that average early June high temps are low to mid-70s at the wedding location. Not so bad.

On the strength of a cake my wife and I made for my parents' 40th anniversary party, a friend has asked us to make her wedding cake. We've agreed. We have the cake recipe pretty well nailed, but are less sure about the frosting. My parents' anniversary party was held indoors, in cool weather. We used a buttercream infused with Grand Marnier, and everyone loved it. The wedding cake, however, will be served outdoors, in June, in the Adirondacks. At a YMCA camp. With sun. And bugs. I would very much appreciate suggestions as to what sort of frosting might be most appropriate for this sort of situation. Flavor is more important than refined appearance; we're probably not interested in fondant. We are ambitious home cooks, but this is a challenging project for us. Please aim us in the right direction.

Hmm, never made a souffle before. My initial search turned up several recipes that use whole eggs rather than whites, but I'm sure I just need to look more carefully. Thanks for the ideas (sweet ones included).

I'm about to bake and frost a large (wedding-scale) cake that calls for far more yolks than whole eggs. I expect to have at least a quart of egg whites left over. I don't ordinarily bake big cakes, so I'm new to this challenge. Other than meringue, what can I do with them? Savory suggestions especially appreciated.

Flan?

I really appreciate the input everyone has offered, and I'm sorry I haven't participated more actively in the discussion. My wife and I are leaving on a trip this morning and the preparations have consumed more time than I expected. We'll try out some of these methods when we return. Thanks!

Thanks for the link, John. I thought the flour seemed like an odd addition, too. So why would corn syrup be important here? Is it that the sugar needs to be a liquid? My wife has an Omnivore's Dilemma/everything's -made-of-corn problem with corn syrup, so she's wondering about potential substitutes. What differences do you see when using the higher-end chocolates and cocoa powders? We live in a semi-rural area, so getting Valrhona or the like means a long drive and a startling price tag -- not very conducive to satisfying a spontaneous craving.

My wife was jonesing, last night, for a better chocolate sauce than I usually concoct, and found one that sounded good on Cooks.com. The actual results were disappointing, and we'd like to understand what might've gone awry. The problem is that, while it tasted great in the pot, it hardened into an unpleasantly chewy, sticky, non-saucy solid when it hit the ice cream it was intended for. My wide thinks she may have added too much flour (she eyeballed it). I suggested that the butter may be the problem. Confectionery isn't either of our either of our strong suits, so we're hoping someone can offer some insights as to what the various ingredients and processes in this recipe might be intended to do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOT FUDGE SAUCE 2 c. white sugar 1 c. brown sugar 1 c. cocoa (Hershey's) 4 tbsp. flour 1/4 c. butter 1 1/2 c. water 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. vanilla (added later) In a saucepan - mix dry ingredients. Add butter and water. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling for 10 minutes, or slightly longer. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve over ice cream.

Wow, thanks for all the ideas here. I did read the egullet course & Q&A threads, and was reassured that other people had similar difficulties. I also read wikipedia, answers.com and HowStuffWorks pages on emulsions in general and mayo in particular, and am starting to feel a little less ignorant. So far, I've got the general idea that mayo is an emulsion of lots of oil dispersed in a little water (the water coming, I assume, from the egg and whatever acid is employed), stabilized primarily by lecithin from egg yolks but also by mustard. The vinegar or lemon juice provides water in which to disperse the oil, contributes flavor, potentially lowers the pH far enough to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria, and possibly helps stabilize the emulsion as well (though I only found this last point mentioned once, in the egci Q&A, and nowhere else). Salt is just (just!) there for flavor. More sources recommend room-temp ingredients than cold; those that suggest cold ingredients generally point to commercial manufacturing techniques, which make me wonder whether it has more to do with safety than ease. The likely problems seem to come down to the mayo being too thin (add more oil), too thick (add more acid), or broken/seperated/not emulsified (start over). The last problem being the hardest (or at least most wasteful) to fix, one should avoid it by using fresh eggs, room temp ingredients, making sure the egg/acid mixture is thoroughly beaten before adding any oil, and then adding the oil very, very (very) slowly at first. I find all of this theory so comforting. Now I need an excuse to make more mayo. Thanks everyone!

Thanks, I missed that course. Most of my ingredients are typically at room temp., except the egg and possibly the acid (if I use a refrigerated lemon). Oh, and the mustard... I will read through that course. Thanks again.

I'm hoping somebody (or many somebodies) might help me understand the art and craft and science of making mayonnaise. I don't need it very often, so it's not a stock item in my fridge. The components of it, however, are always around, so I do occasionally put egg, vinegar, mustard, etc. into my food processor in various proportions, turn the machine on and start drizzling in some oil. Sometimes it works fine but, too often, it doesn't come together the way it should. I've tried recipes from a variety of sources, from the Joy of Cooking to whatever Google drags in. None has worked consistently for me. I just hate it when I follow directions carefully and don't get the promised results, and I have yet to find an explanation of what can go wrong, why it happens or how to avoid it. I don't mean to pose an overly broad question, but would anyone be willing to educate me or point me to a good resource?

Could it be that your hood can be ducted out it's back(horizontal) or up through the top (vertical), and your choice would affect the CFMs slightly? Anyhow, yes, it sounds good.

I can't think of any reason it wouldn't be feasible. I think that putting a stove under a window in the first place is what's unusual. That said, does your lab hood have grease filters? I have a feeling that it may not be designed for cooking exhaust...