by JamesPhysit » May 12th, '06, 18:21
Having done a year of culinary arts back in high school, I can say that lemons will not brown at the cuts for at least a few hours.
If you dip or coat the lemon with melted paraffin wax (the kind used for jarring and candle making), you can get a thin, practically invisible layer that can be cut through with out much ado.
I would suggest doing a single slice down one side tip to tip, so that you only cut the skin along less than half a circumference. Then place your object in, seal it in with super glue and apply a thin layer of wax just over the cut. That way, when you slice it oven to reveal, you avoid your cut, and hence avoid revealing your preparations.
I hope that made sense.
-James Physit