When you're ready to eat, break up the candied seeds, sprinkle over the top of the chilled cake and serve.
Then you can frost and decorate that chilled cake as you please.
Cut six large circles out of the chilled cake.
A chilled cake will remain upright, rather than slumping to one side of the other.
A well chilled cake is easier to get sharp corners when applying fondant.
Make ahead: The chilled frosted cake can be loosely covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Notable items: two cans of Red Bull, two-month-old takeout, a chilled chocolate cake, a half-empty jar of zesty garlic pickles, pomegranate juice, two-dozen empty booze bottles, and a handful of oranges.
RECOMMENDED DISHES -- Gravlax, gazpacho, crab cake, chilled artichoke, steak au poivre, lamb chops, baked halibut, tuna Japonica, salmon, red snapper, passion fruit soufflé, cappuccino crème brûlée, pear tarte tatin, profiteroles.
Serve plain slices of the cake with chilled Champagne, or add an embellishment: unsweetened whipped cream studded with diced candied fruit peel, or pears or pineapple poached in chardonnay.
Except for the lusty rabbit and truffled yam open-faced sandwich ($12), most of the entrees are petite and carefully composed: a stack of duck confit with tart apples would be an improvement on Thanksgiving's main course ($11); a "cake" of chilled crab meat is nearly overwhelmed by its sweet-salty tobiko topping ($9).
For the finale, the overloaded nougat glacé is sowed with candied fruits and nuts, like a chilled answer to Christmas cake. 2 p.m. 6. ANTIQUE ROW If you're searching desperately for that rare vintage porcelain salt-and-pepper shaker in the form of Charlie Chaplin, visit Bric-a-Brac (230, rue de Bourgogne, 33-2-38-54-27-37), one of severalongtheues dealeRuealong the Rue de Bourgogne.
