JayBassin

You also may have too much leavener. The leavener could react too quickly and puff the center before the structure is set by the heat. How much leavener did you use? You could try cutting down the baking powder. Added note: if the oven temp is too high, you could have the sides cooking too fast. Try using damp kitchen cloths wrapped around the cake pans.

Absolutely, I agree with ChefPeon. Not only does the caramel melt, but the puffs get doughy/chewy, which IMO is even worse. The choux puffs must be crisp. I don't think caramel-dipped choux will last more than 8 hours or so, even on a dry day, without getting gummy.

I don't think soaking is intended to saturate the cake. Genoise and other sponge cakes are dry, and traditonal soaking in liquor-spiked simple syrup adds moisture and shelf-life. Most soaking liquids are not so colored as to change the color of the cake, so it doesn't much matter. I think if you soaked a genoise with pomogranate syrup until it was uniform in color, the cake would be too wet. Some tricks (as with lemon syrups) are to pierce the cake with a skewer before soaking, but again this would create colored streaks rather than uniform red color. I'd rather have a cake that tastes good with good texture. Maybe you should learn to see the beauty of a streaked pomegranate genoise?

I store my yeast in the freezer. Won't affect it at all (and it will make it last longer).

I think it may be due to the high water content in canned pumpkin. If you add significant amounts of water to any short dough it will become cakey. Try dehydrating the pumpkin puree before adding.

or what concasse is (and she's a "salad chef"?)

Try using an almond crumb crust: 1-1/2 c almonds 3 T sugar 3 T butter (softened) 1/4 tsp cinnamon Pulse everything together in a food processor until you get fine crumbs, then press into the pan.

Cauliflower remoulade: break raw cauliflower up into small pieces and mix in the following dressing: 1/2 C sour cream 1/2 C mayonnaise (not miracle whip) 2 Tbs dijon mustard 2 Tbs cider vinegar 2 Tbs finely chopped cornichon (or sour gherkins) 2 Tbs finely chopped capers 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, chives, etc) 2 Tbs chopped parsley salt & pepper to taste You can also use or mix julienned celery root

I second this. I'd use chicken feet if they were easy to get, but trotters are easier for me to get (and cheap). I split and freeze them. I blanche a trotter half or two then rinse then add to the chicken bones and get a very rich stock. There is no discernable pork flavor---only the richness from the collagen.

porquoi? ← because I like the balance between the sweetness and acidity, and because I think the port provides a richness that offsets the richness of the bacon.

I favor a port wine vinaigrette.

I also use a coffee grinder, but my post is to push Braun and steer you away from Krups. I've had Braun and Krups gadgets for years, and while the brands work the same, customer service and repairs are vastly different. When my Braun products go bad (even after warrenty), the company is very helpful and often gives me a replacement. Krups doesn't even bother to reply, even under warrenty. I will never buy another Krups product and I urge all eGulleteers to avoid them.

Puffins are protected by Federal law in the U.S. See the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's list here. Consequently, puffins (or parts of puffins) may not be imported legally into the U.S.

Just guessing here, but I suspect that the rest in the 'fridge allowed the gluten in the batter to relax, thus enabling the gas bubbles to expand more. It's true that a cold environment will slow down the reaction that generates the gas. I also think that the recipe you cited had considerably more baking soda than I would use for 1.25 cups of flour (maybe 2-3 times as much). Were the cupcakes quite browned when baked? That's a result of baking soda.

The recipe looked ok, although it seems to be shy a bit on liquid or fat. You might consider increasing the sour cream to 1 C (and if so, boost the baking soda by another 1/4 tsp), or another 1/2 stick butter. I also think RMR may be on to your "dryness" problem---definitely do not overbake: there should be moist crumbs (but not goo) on a tester.