S12.E06: Pastry Week

[dgpolo]

8 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Didn't the asian guy who saved himself from certain doom with a Key Lime Pie showstopper get one? 

Not for a showstopper.

Spoiler

 This article has all the handshakes except for this season. There have only been 3 for showstoppers, Rahul (the first), Ruby (right after Rahul's) and now Christelle.

 

[Kiddvideo]

29 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I like Lizzie.  I find her relatable.  The show has done a good job of creating an arc for her to make it to the finale.  It looks like Paul likes her and sees promise in her.  What stood out to me in this episode was Paul's response to her being resigned to being a baker who lacks finesse.  Paul was not having it, and was very encouraging.  

I also would not be surprised to find out in a later episode that Lizzie has ADHD.  I know a lot of people were upset when she admitted she got sucked into watching the Harry Potter movies instead of practicing her showstopper earlier in the season.  I found her very relatable in that moment because I have a tendency to get sucked into things when I should be doing something else (usually cleaning the house).  

I can like the person well enough and still think she doesn’t deserve to make it through. How many people will root for her if she replaces Giuseppe or Juergen? We’ve seen it play out as recently as last year with Laura and the personal abuse heaped on her when she made it to the finals.

[CatLover74]

On 10/30/2021 at 3:04 AM, BradyB66 said:

"I feel like the fryer's gonna hit me and I'm gonna buuuuuuuurn!"  I need that as my ringtone.  I adore Lizzie more every week.

Aside from the rampant innuendo this episode it had a lot of sweet moments from Paul.  When Lizzie was nervously frying and Paul asked her if her elbows were sweating, when he quietly gave George the tip for opening his tongs, and his fakeout to Crystelle to bring her up for a handshake were all endearing.  I wish he'd stop trying to live up to his reputation as the Simon Cowell of this show and be himself.

Loved that Giuseppe didn't pack enough shirts because he didn't think he'd still be in the competition so he has to keep buying more.

Reminds me of Lottie from last season who reckoned she only packed two outfits because she wasn't expecting to stay more than a couple of weeks, so she had to keep borrowing other bakers' clothes.

[CatLover74]

22 hours ago, blueray said:

"George's sausage is rock hard" I see what the show did there lol. There was more of that then usual. Like I didn't find what Prue said as funny, actually I wanted to hear what she was saying and they kept laughing.

I had a feeling that Amanda would go, as she was at the bottom at all three tasks. George was close but did do well in the signature I believe.

A rock hard sausage, and a soggy bottom.  What a combination to be stuck with.

[krankydoodle]

Giuseppe's showstopper looked adorable, but I was so happy for Crystelle.

I'll miss Amanda. George really lucked out after tripping up again. 

The Jürgenator is back:

 

[CatLover74]

 

16 hours ago, MisterGlass said:

Best wishes to Amanda who always seemed like a good sport.

Chrystelle's pie was beautiful, and I loved the little final line that people wonder why she's loud after hearing the delighted screaming of her family on the other end of the phone.  I really liked the look of Lizzie's pie.  The little fish was very clear and it was very vibrant with the color panels.

I was a little shocked that everyone got such decent looking baklava tarts out in the two hour technical.  I don't think I could have done that.

Thanks to all above for explaining that a choux nut is a cruller.

I'll be honest - I also didn't hear 'hassle' the first time Giuseppe said it.

Chigs seems like a really decent but intense guy.  He reminds me of a guy I knew from New Jersey.

I thought the family of Ruby from Season 9 was loud when she got Star Baker, but Crystelle's family take it to a whole other level.

[SemiCharmedLife]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I like Lizzie.  I find her relatable.  The show has done a good job of creating an arc for her to make it to the finale.  It looks like Paul likes her and sees promise in her.  What stood out to me in this episode was Paul's response to her being resigned to being a baker who lacks finesse.  Paul was not having it, and was very encouraging.  

I also would not be surprised to find out in a later episode that Lizzie has ADHD.  I know a lot of people were upset when she admitted she got sucked into watching the Harry Potter movies instead of practicing her showstopper earlier in the season.  I found her very relatable in that moment because I have a tendency to get sucked into things when I should be doing something else (usually cleaning the house).  

I've really enjoyed Lizzie, as well.  Her accent is fun (thank goodness for closed caption!) and she has a great personality.  I thought it was humorous the way Paul "translated" what Lizzie said about her chouxnuts to his colleagues.

[theatremouse]

On 10/27/2021 at 10:41 PM, Danny Franks said:

George was saved again by someone else having a disaster, but he's got to be the favourite to go next. What did he say he'd got wrong? Too much egg-wash on the pie lid? Does that really make it fall apart like that?

I think the real problem was that he was so overly concerned about the "too much egg-wash" that he spent a ton of time with the oven open waffling about whether to try to fix that, then spent waaaaaay too much trying to fix it, and ended up with nowhere near enough time in the oven at temp. It was a cascade of failures - and he already knew the sausage seemed nearly frozen before he put it in, so no idea why he didn't prioritize making sure the whole thing was cooked. I know he mentioned something about the thermometer saying it was cooked, but that was at the end. When he was making active choices during the bake, he screwed himself.

[Cetacean]

5 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

...and he already knew the sausage seemed nearly frozen before he put it in, so no idea why he didn't prioritize making sure the whole thing was cooked.

Do they not have a microwave available for that kind of problem?  I don't remember seeing one but it would certainly help.

[PaulaO]

And why oh why is there not a blast chiller?  I say bak-LA- vah.  The Brit pronunciation sounds like balaclava.....

[ChelleGame]

On 10/29/2021 at 7:28 AM, Yajmele said:

I have never heard of hibiscus as a flavor. Has anyone had it before?  What does it taste like?

 

I love this flavor. There's a restaurant in town that has a Hibiscus lemonade that I just love.

[loki310]

Adding to the hibiscus discussion haha - sorrel is the Jamaican version of the Mexican jamaica agua fresca… that was my first introduction to the hibiscus flavor. 
 

Crystelle’s phone call home makes me wish I had sisters. She and her family seem really lovely. I was happy that a bake that had so much meaning for her was celebrated with a handshake. 
 

Pru’s hilarious. “Maybe if you put the giant rock hard sausage in one or both of the holes you’d get a squirt - wait, what are you laughing about?” I mean one time I said in complete earnest that I loved tossing salads, but immediately realized what I said and started laughing. Squirt and holes didn’t make her pause? At all?  Haha

[dleighg]

11 hours ago, theatremouse said:

and he already knew the sausage seemed nearly frozen before he put it in, so no idea why he didn't prioritize making sure the whole thing was cooked.

Do they have a microwave in there? Couldn't he defrost it a bit? Or warm it in the oven if necessary? ETA (sorry didn't see that someone else suggested this)

Edited October 31, 2021 by dleighg

[BradyB66]

They definitely used to have a microwave.  Season 5’s Nancy proved her bread dough in it and gave Paul a case of the vapors.

[mellyf]

On 10/29/2021 at 9:49 AM, Rammchick said:

What a great space saver in a small kitchen!  Too bad something like that isn't available here in the US.

Years ago when we re-did our kitchen, Ikea had ovens like that. Not sure who the manufacturer was (we didn't get our appliances from Ikea), but I did like that oven door.

[chaifan]

I think George really lucked out this week.  I think his showstopper was way more of a mess than Amanda's.  Sorry to see her go.

Giuseppe & hassle:  I honestly didn't get it, until I read on this thread what Matt thought he was saying.  I didn't hear the H, but I heard "assle", and didn't even consider "asshole".  Now, I get the joke! 

I loved how Lizzie had her hair in a messy bun off to the side.  With the hair color it looked like a giant fuzzy facsinator. 

What I love about these last two seasons is how close the contestants get to each other.  Post-pandemic it would be interesting for them to keep the filming format where they are all sequestered together.  I know they won't, but I think it would be a good thing.

 

[ombre]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:34 PM, BradyB66 said:

"I feel like the fryer's gonna hit me and I'm gonna buuuuuuuurn!"  I need that as my ringtone.  I adore Lizzie more every week.

Aside from the rampant innuendo this episode it had a lot of sweet moments from Paul.  When Lizzie was nervously frying and Paul asked her if her elbows were sweating, when he quietly gave George the tip for opening his tongs, and his fakeout to Crystelle to bring her up for a handshake were all endearing.  I wish he'd stop trying to live up to his reputation as the Simon Cowell of this show and be himself.

Loved that Giuseppe didn't pack enough shirts because he didn't think he'd still be in the competition so he has to keep buying more.

 

22 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I like Lizzie.  I find her relatable.  The show has done a good job of creating an arc for her to make it to the finale.  It looks like Paul likes her and sees promise in her.  What stood out to me in this episode was Paul's response to her being resigned to being a baker who lacks finesse.  Paul was not having it, and was very encouraging.  

I also would not be surprised to find out in a later episode that Lizzie has ADHD.  I know a lot of people were upset when she admitted she got sucked into watching the Harry Potter movies instead of practicing her showstopper earlier in the season.  I found her very relatable in that moment because I have a tendency to get sucked into things when I should be doing something else (usually cleaning the house).  

You know? I am not terribly fond of Paul, but I feel like Lizzie is the first contestant to make him act in the ways you'd expect from a decent human being. Someone, somewhere knows the psychology behind this and I never will, but for another few weeks I'll be fascinated by it. 

 

I suspect that Crystelle is in for the long haul, but if she for some reason gets kicked out I think they shouldn't tell her and should let her keep baking just so we get to keep watching her glorious reaction shots. 

 

And for anyone who thought the innuendo was really a little over the top this week, definitely don't check out the great pottery throw down. For everyone else, welllll... Come on in, the water's just *fine*! 

[iwantcookies]

On 10/29/2021 at 10:25 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

Christelle's showstopper was stunning,, particularly when so many other bakers had significant difficulties even getting their pies baked enough.  I loved that Chigs was giving Amanda so much help at the end, and apologizing that he couldn't do more.  Does anyone else think Chigs has really crazy eyes?  Like sometimes he looks insane with rage, even though of course he's not? 

Yeah Chigs eyes are off putting! But he is such a sweetheart for helping Amanda!

[iwantcookies]

21 hours ago, CatLover74 said:

A rock hard sausage, and a soggy bottom.  What a combination to be stuck with.

The laughing you hear is me! I am dying over here!

[Suzn]

It seems like a lot of people enjoy the innuendos, but I'm sorry there was too much red-faced, embarrassed giggling in this episode.  I would really expect Paul to be sophisticated enough to not lose it over holes and squirting.  There was something about it that sounded too deliberate and not spontaneous.

[iwantcookies]

George is such a handsome fellow. 

[DietCokeJunkie]

On 10/30/2021 at 11:53 AM, dargosmydaddy said:

Chigs was my favorite of this year's contestants already, but watching him help Amanda and try to reassure her cemented him a place on my all-time GBBO faves list. Handsome (I don't mind the intense eyes!), competent, and sweet is a winning combination for me. 

I adore Chigs. He posted some pics from a Bake-off Halloween party on his Instagram. 

[BradyB66]

Love Amanda‘s steam punk look! Is that Lottie and Priya?

[Quilt Fairy]

Is Chigs doing a Squid Game thing?  It looks like the guard costume, albeit without the mask. 

[P2C2E]

I think there was some editing shenanigans. Jurgen's choux-nuts had the same deflated look as Chrystelle's, but the judges didn't say anything about it. I can't imagine that they wouldn't have so I can only guess they edited it out. Why? Maybe because Jurgen is in the finals or wins and they don't want him looking bad? There was just such a marked difference in how they looked.

[JustDucky]

I'd like to know how they kept George over Amanda.  Purely curious.

I'm glad Chrystelle had such a good week.  I think she might be the only woman in the Final Four (Jurgen, Guiseppe, and Chigs rounding it out... until next week when I'm proven wrong).

My mom's across-the-street neighbor has a food truck featuring Middle Eastern food - gyros, falafel, shwarma, etc.  He has brought over baklava, and while it wasn't half as fiddly as the technical, it was still darned tasty.  No news on if he made the phyllo dough from scratch or, indeed, just how he insists on pronouncing it - just know it's gooey and decadent.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 10/30/2021 at 7:30 AM, rejnel said:

Very true! Since at least Shakespeare’s time, English people have staunchly refused to pronounce words derived from Romance languages correctly. This is even true of names, hence “VI-o-la” and “JAKE-weez.” 

Or Byron's "Don Juan," where Juan is Joo-won. 

I too noticed that Paul is more relaxed and human around Lizzie. I still need closed-captioning for her, though. 

[Ohiopirate02]

20 hours ago, Suzn said:

It seems like a lot of people enjoy the innuendos, but I'm sorry there was too much red-faced, embarrassed giggling in this episode.  I would really expect Paul to be sophisticated enough to not lose it over holes and squirting.  There was something about it that sounded too deliberate and not spontaneous.

I had the opposite reaction.  I think the nature of this show with the quarantine is getting to the judges and hosts. They are being forced to spend more time together than before (please correct me if I'm wrong) and this is the second time for the sequestering with Matt and Noel.  They are more comfortable together and Paul is finally letting loose.  Pru was so serious when she was talking to George and at least to me that made what she was saying sound so much funnier.  It never occurred to Pru that what she was saying had another, dirtier meaning.  I wonder if this happens a lot with Pru.

[ABay]

12 hours ago, JustDucky said:

I'd like to know how they kept George over Amanda.  Purely curious.

Me, too. He should've been gone last week. Especially in this episode, it's uncomfortable to me to watch him stressing out.

Edited November 1, 2021 by ABay

[Cetacean]

22 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

It seems like a lot of people enjoy the innuendos, but I'm sorry there was too much red-faced, embarrassed giggling in this episode.  I would really expect Paul to be sophisticated enough to not lose it over holes and squirting.  There was something about it that sounded too deliberate and not spontaneous.

Indeed.  To quote Prue:  "We're grown ups. Stop this nonsense".  Even closed captioning described the antics as sniggering.  It was like watching adolescent boys on the playground.  When will Matt start snapping bra straps for laughs?

[Aulty]

11 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I had the opposite reaction.  I think the nature of this show with the quarantine is getting to the judges and hosts. They are being forced to spend more time together than before (please correct me if I'm wrong) and this is the second time for the sequestering with Matt and Noel.

I remember from an interview that in the early seasons, the Mary Berry years when they shot the episodes on the weekend, the contestants did stay in a different hotel for the 2 nights each week than the judges to avoid any kind of 'fraternizing' (I assume Mel and Sue stayed in the same hotel as Paul and Mary). There was an emotional bond between the bakers but a notable distance between them and the judges - 'twas the time when bakers really feared Paul. That distance probably ensured that the judging was purely on whats in front of them and it isn't a popularity contest.

[chaifan]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Pru was so serious when she was talking to George and at least to me that made what she was saying sound so much funnier.  It never occurred to Pru that what she was saying had another, dirtier meaning.  I wonder if this happens a lot with Pru.

Pru is not naive, nor an idiot.  She knows very well that her words had different meaning.  She was just acting like the adult in the room, not the 12 year olds, and doing her job.  Probably because she's been doing this for so long she's heard (and made herself) every baking double entendre possible, and it's all old and boring to her. 

If you've watched Blown Away, the glass blowing competition, you'll see the different reactions to people talking about the "glory hole".  The old timers just keep talking, the newbies are the ones snickering. 

That said, this episode seemed to have a lot more of the dirty baking talk than most episodes.  Not sure if it was the choice of bakes, the editing, or if everyone was just in a cheeky mood those days.  I thought it was all hilarious.

 

 

[iMonrey]

Paul's fake-out with the handshake was almost mean, by the sound of Crystelle's quivering voice when he asked her "have you seen this?" She was legit scared. 

The technical was just weird and not one of them got the topping right, no surprise. I think Chigg was the only one who sliced all the way through instead of just the top layer and they didn't say anything about it. 

Quote

when he quietly gave George the tip for opening his tongs

 I could relate. I had a new pair and couldn't figure out how they closed. Same mechanism. I'd never had a pair like that before. Then one day I was having a cookout and saw someone close them and was like "Oh, that's how it works!"

Quote

Then we have Matt misunderstanding Guiseppe’s pronunciation of the word “hassle.”

No joke, I seriously thought he said "asshole" at first too.

Quote

Does anyone else think Chigs has really crazy eyes? 

No but I think he has an infectious smile.

[Cetacean]

51 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

The technical was just weird and not one of them got the topping right, no surprise. I think Chigg was the only one who sliced all the way through instead of just the top layer and they didn't say anything about it. 

It would have taken me the entire time just to figure out how to carve that intricate design.

[TimothyQ]

15 hours ago, JustDucky said:

I'd like to know how they kept George over Amanda.  Purely curious.

I think he just got lucky this week and last. There just happened to be someone who had a worse week than him.

[dleighg]

22 minutes ago, TimothyQ said:

I think he just got lucky this week and last.

He did quite a bit better than her on the first challenge, as I recall.

[BradyB66]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

Pru is not naive, nor an idiot.  She knows very well that her words had different meaning.  She was just acting like the adult in the room, not the 12 year olds, and doing her job.  Probably because she's been doing this for so long she's heard (and made herself) every baking double entendre possible, and it's all old and boring to her. 

And really, how else do you instruct a baking amateur on how to get the most filling possible in a donut without using the word "hole"?  Okay, you could say "opening" but they still would have sniggered.  

[ABay]

When correctly viewed, everything is lewd.

[sugarbaker design]

51 minutes ago, ABay said:

When correctly viewed, everything is lewd.

You're a poet!

[Danny Franks]

5 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Indeed.  To quote Prue:  "We're grown ups. Stop this nonsense".  Even closed captioning described the antics as sniggering.  It was like watching adolescent boys on the playground.  When will Matt start snapping bra straps for laughs?

I don't think Matt is very interested in bras.

Grown ups are allowed to have a laugh too, and I prefer to see people enjoying themselves than seeing them stressed out and miserable because 'baking is serious business!'  Prue is there to be the serious one who says things like "stop this nonsense" but that's part of the show and it has been since the first season, where Mary Berry would say the same sort of thing.

Edited November 1, 2021 by Danny Franks

[ABay]

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

You're a poet!

I can't take credit--it's from Tom Lehrer's song "Smut".

[jrzy]

On 10/28/2021 at 9:15 AM, TVbitch said:

Apparently I have been saying baklava wrong my whole life. : D

Me too!  bok - la - va is how I have always pronounced it.

 

[Suzn]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Grown ups are allowed to have a laugh too, and I prefer to see people enjoying themselves than seeing them stressed out and miserable because 'baking is serious business!'  Prue is there to be the serious one who says things like "stop this nonsense" but that's part of the show and it has been since the first season, where Mary Berry would say the same sort of thing.

I don't think the choices have to between treating baking as serious business all the time and snickering over "dirty" words that a pre-teen would find funny.  I don't think not finding "holes" funny means that you're a prude.

[dgpolo]

On 10/29/2021 at 9:28 AM, Yajmele said:

I just realized that the oven doors are capable of recessing under the oven itself when one opens it.  I’ve actually never seen one do that before.

I just watched the first episode available here in the U.S. known a the Beginnings on Netflix, and season 3 elsewhere and the oven doors do retract. So they have done so for all the episodes I've seen (which is what I thought but I've learned not to rely on my memory alone lately)

[AZChristian]

15 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

. . . the oven doors do retract. So they have done so for all the episodes I've seen (which is what I thought but I've learned not to rely on my memory alone lately)

They are probably Neff ovens.  Better known in the UK than here . . . and spendy.

[Quilt Fairy]

9 hours ago, Cetacean said:

It would have taken me the entire time just to figure out how to carve that intricate design.

On Chig's showstopper?  That wasn't carved, he had separate strips of dough that he used to decorate the top.  (Not that I could have done that, either.)

They also pronounce "pita" differently.  I have always heard it as "peet-ta" and they pronounce it "pit-ta". 

[caitmcg]

15 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

They also pronounce "pita" differently.  I have always heard it as "peet-ta" and they pronounce it "pit-ta". 

I have seen some Britons spell it as they pronounce it: pitta.

[Cetacean]

31 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

On Chig's showstopper?  That wasn't carved, he had separate strips of dough that he used to decorate the top.

No. the pattern in the Technical Challenge. On what I was raised to call BAHK lah vah.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

No. the pattern in the Technical Challenge. On what I was raised to call BAHK lah vah.

That was complicated. 

 

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

That was complicated. 

 

Jurgen seemed to have a template to draw the lines.  I seem to recall it was a 7" in diameter template which he had to adapt for a 9" baklava.  A quilter could have replicated that pattern in a heartbeat.  It was really a series of straight lines of varying lengths.  If they had started with lines for an 8-piece pie cutting, the other lines would not have been as difficult.

It is listed as "challenging" on the GBBO website.  But I bet it was yummy!!!!