arriba!

I am less concerned about the safety aspect than quality. The cake I had in mind would be refrigerated as it is filled with whipped cream and raspberries and iced with whipped ganache. I had not considered the effect of heat on the plastic wrap but would not be doing this regularly so think anything harmful absorbed by the cake would be of minimal consequence. Hope so anyway!

Thanks to all who responded with such helpful info. I wish i remembered where I read this originally but just could not find it.

I read somewhere online that freezing a warm cake after wrapping tightly would make for a very moist cake when defrosted. I can't find the source and of course, everything I google says "cool completely prior to freezing" which I have always done. Am I imagining this bit of info?

re: corn muffins I made the muffins with fresh corn but no jalapenos. I don't have the book right here and can't remember the exact name. The flavor is wondeful but they were too sweet for us. I made a second and used half sugar from recipe and they were amazing. I think the texture was better too. As stated in the recipe, these muffins don't dome, so if you care about that, this is not the recipe for you.

A note to my above post re: Medrich Bittersweet brownies vs. Chewy Brownies--I compared the two while the Chewy were still warm and the Bittersweet were cool. I have tasted the Chewy brownies now that they are cool and the flavor is much better--very chocolate-y and the texture is wonderfully chewy. I will remember to compare when all components are same temp etc. I have guests coming later and will let them compare also.

I made 2 batches of brownies this am--the Chewy brownies from Fine Cooking previously mentioned in this thread and Classic Bittersweet Brownies from Alice Medrich. I think the flavor is much cleaner and intensely chocolate in the Medrich brownies. I followed her technique of refrigerating the dough overnight then bringing to room temp prior to baking. These are not for cake-y brownie lovers--very fudge-y and dense. I used 70% Scharfenberger for these. I will admit that I had only Baker's to use in the Chewy Brownies and that could have contributed to the less favorable flavor. Medrich instructs against using an ice water bath for 66%-72% chocolate and I followed that suggestion. Alice Medrich has different techniques for these brownies and the instructions can be found on the Fine Cooking CooksTalk forum using #19089.1 to search. I think they are worth the effort. In the past, I liked the Hepburn recipe and another recipe from Fine Cooking "Rich Fudgy Brownies" but the Medrich recipe is my favorite.

Shaloop--since I posted and received your reply I have tried the emergency cupcakes and agree with you. They were perfect for letting a 6 year old "help". I made whipped ganache which was better than the cupcakes which she then commenced to ruin with some vile tasting sprinkles!! Oh well, it was her project!!

Has anyone tried the Emergency Blender Cupcakes--maybe Abigail Dodge's recipe?

I guess I am the only one to have less than stellar success with the vanilla rum soaked pound cake. I had wonderful vanilla beans i was saving for this recipe and the vanilla flavor was wonderful, but the cakes were coarse and rubbery. I mixed according to direction, whisking eggs and sugar then stirring flour and lastly the melted butter. They baked in the time stated and I cooled them before cutting. The texture of my cakes was not as described and I would love to do better next time.

Chufi--did you refrigerate your Mille Crepes cake after assembling? I read through the thread about that and refrigeration was mentioned. I will probably use lemon curd when I make one and, like you, like mixing it with whipped cream. I want to avoid the slippage factor and am reading all I can prior to attempting this myself. Thanks for the wonderful photos--your meal looks wonderful!

Thanks for the link Marmish! I had followed that thread, saved the recipe then forgot about it for awhile. Chufi's post reminded me--I will re-read the thread and make a note of baker's hints.

Chufi--I would love to see a picture of your Mille Crepes cake or hear about it. I have had that on my "to do" list for a year and have not made one yet. Is this something you make regularly or was Easter an experiment?

Your guests are lucky indeed! Watch out for wedding crashers!!

Thanks K8. I learned the hard way about smells during refrigeration when I carelessly covered some of that heavenly PH lemon cream--not a buttercream, I know, but several bites were dEFINITELY off and I don't want to re-visit that horror!!

I know how readily buttercreams absorb odors and wondered if making buttercream while cooking pungent food(or really anything for that matter)is a bad idea in a home kitchen with barely there overhead exhaust? I can open windows for better ventilation if necessary but working on supper and buttercream just didn't seem like a good idea. Any opinions?

Thanks to both who replied with recipes/sources for lamb. They both sound great and the sour cherry rice divine!! Such decisions--only one lamb leg!! I definitely want to use both so we will probably be eating lots of lamb!!

hummingbirdkiss--would you post your recipe for Persian Lamb?

BarbarY--which Silver Palate? I am thinking about boneless LOL also. There was a good recipe in Fine Cooking within the past 2 years for stuffed bonelss LOL using mint, raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs and the seam side was on top so the stuffing poked out the top and got nicely crunchy. I think it was served with a red onion/balsamic jam. I like the combinations but am always looking for other ideas.

I used the lemon cream to fill 2 cakes this weekend and it worked wonderfully. I spread the cream in 2 pans the same size as the cake, lined with plastic. Froze them, put between split cake layers and iced one with lemon buttercream(Paige Retus'[Olives]recipe and the other with lemon curd mixed with whipped cream. I refrigerated them overnight then attempted to decide which I liked better. Undecided at this point--they are both fabulous! I guess I would call it a draw.

I am planning on making it(cake)this weekend so will probably make the curd earlier. Thanks for your help.

Yes, it is a curd. I have not made it and wondered if it would give same results. I think the only difference is in the technique and I would think it would be just as tart, but I don't know that.

I have made the cake several times using lemon curd--I have learned the "tricks" the hard way--chill layers before icing, make dam to prevent curd seepage, make 4 thin layers instead of 2 thicker ones, use skewers until it is set etc. I love the curd/cream icing and just wondered if the lemon cream will give the same results as curd. This has become one of my favorite cakes.

I might need to start a new thread for this question but hope it gets noticed here. Can PH lemon cream be used instead of lemon curd to make a lemon curd cake? This is not Emily Lucchetti's curd cake where the curd is mixed into the batter--it is a layer cake with curd between the layers and mixed with whipped cream for icing.

I have an unglazed baker just like the one pictured and used it for the no knead bread without any problem. I put it in the cold oven and then pre-heat.

I hate that I didn't find this thread until now!! I have been amazed with the frozen biscuits, both Mary B and Pillsbury--especially the "flaky" ones! They are the next best thing to Popeye's!! IF you happen to have any left over(yeah, right!), they are GREAT split, buttered and toasted until browned--oh YEAH!!!