Q: I found your terrific recipe for Fruit Crumble. We will be baking a variety of fruit crisps and crumbles for 200 people for a wedding and had planned on using aluminum pans — the flimsy kind — for this task. Are we wrong to use these pans? From bake to serve, will be about 6 hours. Thanks!

Sent by Peg

Q: I was raised in Hong Kong and grew up eating desserts with Chinese and European/British influences. A lot of the cakes back home had this hard layer at the bottom, almost like a cardboard cake round, but edible. There was a thin jam brushed between the cake and the edible round. 

Q: What's a fool-proof recipe to win a bake-off at work? I need a great recipe that will impress in one bite. It has to be able to be prepared the night before and sit out for at least an hour (so no ice cream or frozen desserts). It also has to be cut into bite-size pieces.

Sent by Megan

Q: I lost my recipe for spinach casserole with Boursin cheese. I make it every Easter. Can you help me? Please!!!

Sent by Alegria

Q: I am having a dinner party for a friend this weekend who has requested an olive oil cake, but who cannot have lemon or orange juice. Is there a way to make this recipe without citrus? What is the purpose of citrus in an olive oil cake recipe?

Sent by Janelle

Q: I cannot eat dairy and love to bake. But the recipes I usually find without dairy are often vegan (without eggs/honey which are fine for me) or gluten-free (which contain a lot of ingredients I cannot get). Do you have any good baking recipes that just do not contain dairy?

Sent by Janelle

Q: I am about to venture into making cupcakes! I must say I am a little worried. Is there a basic cake recipe I can build upon to my taste and the icings can I infuse flavors like key lime strawberry, peach etc. into it?

Sent by Juanita

Q: While I don't only eat Passover-certified foods, I adhere to tradition and in addition to staying away from traditional grains, also avoid corn, beans, lentils and soy during those 8 days. However, over the last year I've drastically decreased my meat intake. 

Q: I am 32 weeks pregnant, and will very soon be the owner of a chest freezer, which I would like to "feed" before the baby comes so that my husband, our three year old, and I can have some decent meals in the first hazy weeks of life with a newborn. What are some good recipes for this task? 

Q: I recently had some delicious shishito peppers at a restaurant and I want to try and make some myself. Does anyone have ideas about how to prepare them? Or suggestions for what they might go well with?

Sent by Madeleine