S13.E05: Dessert Week

[Athena]

Quote

The bakers get all steamed up in the Signature, tackle a classic lemon meringue pie in the Technical, and create a showstopping sponge cake with a hidden surprise

UK Original Date: October 11, 2022

US Netflix Date: October 14, 2022.

[Aulty]

Uff, for a moment I thought Carole would reverse Houndini it again, but it was her time to go.
Not terribly good with social cues is our Paul? He could've clocked right away that Dawn wasn't that keen on being compared to his Mom instead of rubbing it in a bit more. Speaking of Dawn, how gutting for her that she messed up the Lemon meringue pie (if you think British pronounciationa are a bit of a head scratcher sometimes, you should hear the German Bake Off contestants say 'meringue'), something she knows inside out.

Artificial flavours are always a herald of doom on this show, aren't they?

[Danny Franks]

Much better episode than last week.

Steamed puddings are a decent challenge and, judging by some of these results, a tricky one. Carole's just looked sad and I knew Syabira's would be criticised as soon as she admitted she was using artificial flavours.

Sandro and Maxy's puddings looked and sounded great. 

A lemon meringue pie is a good technical challenge too. It shouldn't be a mystery to anyone and it asks them to do a few different things. Plus, everyone knows what a good one looks and tastes like. I agree with Prue - a baker at this level should be able to do all the elements even if they've never put them together before.

The showstopper was fine as well. Nothing too ridiculous - mousse cakes with a 'surprise' in the middle. That seems fairly straightforward, and produced some good results. Janusz and Abdul's both looked great. I don't know much about baking, but even I blinked in surprise when Carole said she had thirty leaves of gelatine. Of course, she ended up using too much.

Sandro definitely deserved star baker. His globe cake was really cool. He, Maxy and Janusz are definitely the favourites for the final.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Danny Franks

[oldCJ]

Thankful Carole is finally off my screen. Her xenophobia and total lack of preparation each week was neither cute nor endearing. Seems like a producer saw her walking by and decided her hair gave her enough personality to be on the show because that woman had zero baking experience. Her bakes belonged among the joke bakes Jo Brand laughs at on Extra Slice. Ridiculous that poor James and Maisam left before she did. 

[dleighg]

How did Dawn screw up the amount of lemon curd so badly?

I kept thinking that they set them up to fail with the difficulty of the showstopper, but apparently Sandro and Janusz managed it well. Carole's strawberry insert looked surprisingly good. For so many of them, the "surprise" was totally impossible to discern, Maxy's for example. 

[Kiddvideo]

I said last week the bakes would get more competitive after Carole left, but we’re not there yet. I think if Carole’s strawberries in the showstopper had been good that Dawn would’ve gone home. She and Abdul are next. (They haven’t spent much time with Abdul it seems.)

I moved Sandro into my 3rd finalist position due to Syabira’s week. Watermelon wasn’t smart. The artificial tastes artificial, and the flavor from the real juice usually isn’t strong enough.

[Straycat80]

I liked this episode, back to basic baking. It was definitely Carole’s time to go. Poor Dawn, she’ll be gone next week. Surprised Sybira is starting to slide down, maybe she’ll come back next week. 
I’m glad Sandro got star baker, his globe cake was so cool. 

[Cetacean]

I am a bit confused about how Dawn's pie filling was so scant.  They were all given the same ingredients - did she not use all of the eggs or somethiing?

Carole had been holding on by a thread so it was no surprise that she left. 

Sybira's bad week was a bit of a surprise though; she has been pretty consistently good.  And I do think that it would be difficult to whip up a concoction that you've never made before with no instructions whatsoever.  If someone told me to make a sticky toffee pudding I would be lost - have never made or eaten one. Nor would I ever, I don't like all of the fruits in English desserts. 

Speaking of which, weren't sultanas all the rage a few series ago?  Haven't heard them mentioned lately.  Fennel, was big as well - my sister gave me an apron that says "Keep calm and fennel on"  in honor of the show.

[SuprSuprElevated]

Is it possible, that in an effort to keep the show fresh, they are systematically removing the elements that have made it popular in the first place?  I can see where it may be a bit of a tightrope to walk; trying to keep a popular show relevant without destroying its legacy.  

Edit- actually meant to put this in the Mexican Week thread, but sentiment remains the same.

Edited October 14, 2022 by SuprSuprElevated

[dleighg]

Something that bugged me was when Carole was doing the horse whinny thing right over her bakes. I mean, spit comes off when you do that. Yuk.

[AZChristian]

31 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Something that bugged me was when Carole was doing the horse whinny thing right over her bakes. I mean, spit comes off when you do that. Yuk.

I think that the world has - understandably - become a place where many of us won't eat a piece of cake if the candles on top of the cake were blown out in a traditional manner.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

My favorite part was Matt's imitation of Paul, doing a critique of a hypothetical chocolate-flavored bake. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

6 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

I moved Sandro into my 3rd finalist position due to Syabira’s week. Watermelon wasn’t smart. The artificial tastes artificial, and the flavor from the real juice usually isn’t strong enough.

I had a feeling when she mentioned that she was using "essence," the judges would not enjoy the taste.  I personally LOVE fresh watermelon, but have never been impressed with anything labeled "watermelon flavored," no matter what it is.  I think that flavor must be very difficult to replicate in recipes or products; it is so fresh, yet subtle.  Then, Syrabira used another melon flavor in her showstopper, but this time, the flavor was not strong enough. I like her originality, but I was actually trying to tell her (through the tv screen) to use passionfruit-- remember how all the bakers used to add that to almost every bake and the judges loved it?

[dleighg]

11 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I had a feeling when she mentioned that she was using "essence," the judges would not enjoy the taste.  I personally LOVE fresh watermelon, but have never been impressed with anything labeled "watermelon flavored,"

I agree. Personally, I kind of like "jolly rancher watermelon" flavor but it bears no relation to actual watermelon! Much like banana salt water taffy. I like that too :) Her watermelon puddings were pretty darn cute though!

[sharifa70]

The bakers giggling over the instructions in the technical made me laugh. 

Janusz: “The method was ‘Make the pie,’ so I was like, ‘I’m gonna make the pie.’ Made the pie. Won the pie. Great.”

Seriously, is there anyone cuter than Janusz? 

[MagicEyes]

48 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I had a feeling when she mentioned that she was using "essence," the judges would not enjoy the taste.

Paul does not like artificial flavors. You’d think the bakers would know this if they’ve watched the show. He can taste “essence” a mile away.

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, MagicEyes said:

Paul does not like artificial flavors. You’d think the bakers would know this if they’ve watched the show. He can taste “essence” a mile away.

she would have done better making those cute puddings with some other flavor. Why did it have to be watermelon? Just do a really great vanilla or citrus. Call it a surprise LOL.

[mjc570]

The editing on this show is ruining any suspense, at least for me.  Carole clearly got the loser edit - even before her steamed pudding disaster, I knew she was going to be the one going home.  

I'm really glad this episode actually was about their baking skills, and not their engineering.  Much as I like Sandro as a person, I thought his land masses on the planet were pretty bad - couldn't he have rolled them out thinner?  

I really liked the technical - Prue was right, they should all have been able to make each of the elements.  And, I have to say that a good lemon meringue pie is also one of my "Favorite puds." (If, that is, there is no apple pie a la mode available).

[TVbitch]

This would have been a good episode to do a double elimination.

[irisheyes]

Carole, if you know you need boiling water, and you know your water isn’t boiling, why don’t you fix it?

Also, I know this might be blasphemous, but Janusz’s last two showstoppers have looked almost identical. I love you Janusz, but variety is good too. 

Edited October 15, 2022 by irisheyes

[Adiba]

I wonder if Syabira could’ve used a watermelon reduction in her showstopper? I remember Nadiya doing a soda pop reduction syrup cheesecake in one of her showstoppers (she made it at home and brought it in).

Paul had no business calling Dawn “mom”. He is 56 years old and she is 60. He had to know that it wouldn’t be received warmly. 

[Enigma X]

20 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

Carole, if you know you need boiling water, and you know your water isn’t boiling, why don’t you fix it?

Also, Carole, if you tell Paul at the start of your recipe that you will use 30 gelatin sheets, and he looks back in horror, why not rethink that decision?

Edited October 15, 2022 by Enigma X

[oliviabenson]

Janusz, Sandro and Maxy are my top 3.

[Michichick]

4 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

The bakers giggling over the instructions in the technical made me laugh. 

Janusz: “The method was ‘Make the pie,’ so I was like, ‘I’m gonna make the pie.’ Made the pie. Won the pie. Great.”

Seriously, is there anyone cuter than Janusz? 

There isn’t anyone cuter! I love Janusz so much. He has such a warm, friendly face  and I love his bubbly attitude. I’d love to see him win, though I enjoy Maxy, Sandro, and Sybira as well.

[TimothyQ]

10 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Speaking of which, weren't sultanas all the rage a few series ago?  Haven't heard them mentioned lately.  Fennel, was big as well - my sister gave me an apron that says "Keep calm and fennel on"  in honor of the show.

Ruby chocolate was a “flash in the pan” fad, too, a few seasons back. Funny how these trends come and go. 

[kay1864]

Anyone else notice Syabira looking around a lot during the technical? I thought the producers discouraged that. (Although the admonishment wasn’t in red at the top of the instructions as it has been previously)

[Michichick]

10 minutes ago, kay1864 said:

Anyone else notice Syabira looking around a lot during the technical? I thought the producers discouraged that. (Although the admonishment wasn’t in red at the top of the instructions as it has been previously)

Yes, I noticed, too. She even commented that everyone else was blind baking their crust, so I think that was the reason she partially blind baked hers, too.

[kirklandia]

I was going to mention the "loser edit" as well. It has become annoyingly common on many American reality/competition programs.

I've never noticed it before on GBBO.  Maybe a hint, but nothing this blatant.  And absolutely unnecessary. I am worried that my favorite show will lose its charm due to producer tinkering.

[dleighg]

7 hours ago, Adiba said:

Paul had no business calling Dawn “mom”. He is 56 years old and she is 60. He had to know that it wouldn’t be received warmly.

That was completely obnoxious. I say this as a woman one year older than Dawn. I'd be pissed.

[loki310]

Gosh is Sandro attractive. Bummer we didn’t get a phone call to loved ones announcing his star baker win. Where’s the Sandro appreciation thread?

[ombre]

21 minutes ago, loki310 said:

Gosh is Sandro attractive. Bummer we didn’t get a phone call to loved ones announcing his star baker win. Where’s the Sandro appreciation thread?

My read of Sandro is that he is both *deeply* competitive/driven and incredibly sweet and empathetic and thus very good at switching quickly from the disappointment of not getting star baker to being happy for those who did. I'm (as they say) just chuffed that he didn't have to this week!

[J-Man]

Paul said that Dawn reminded him of his Mom. I took that to mean that she looked or acted like his Mom did when she was around Dawn's age, not that she's old enough to be his mother now. 

[Adiba]

59 minutes ago, J-Man said:

Paul said that Dawn reminded him of his Mom. I took that to mean that she looked or acted like his Mom did when she was around Dawn's age, not that she's old enough to be his mother now. 

First he said “Hi, Mom” and when Dawn said she’s not much older than him, Paul backpedaled. He may have meant it innocently enough, but it’s just not something one says to a woman of a certain age (unless she is your mother or a mother-figure). 

[SnapHappy]

Syabira just doesn't have the real skills, in my opinion.  To me, she's memorized and refined a list of her home country desserts and a few others, but can't go beyond what's known.  She even commented after the lemon merengue fiasco that she'd need to eat & memorize all the classic British desserts.  But LMP is largely credited to the Americans for putting lemon pudding into a pie. 

And what the hell is she doing cooking in a blouse with those gigantic sleeves?  The producers shouldn't have allowed that.  

There are just so many contestants now that don't know the basics.  Maxy never made mousse?  

Each season is more about 3-4 actually talented bakers, and the place fillers that can do a few things in the kitchen. 

And what happened to the gorgeous and colorful line drawings that accompanied the vice-over description of the signatures and the show stoppers?  I loved those.  Cheap bastards, taking them out. 

My love for Janusz is only second to Kim Joy from season 9.  

Edited October 15, 2022 by SnapHappy

[blueray]

I'm glad that Sandro got star baker. That world looked amazing and tasted good! As soon as that was clear I called that he would get it as he has been close for many weeks now. I do wonder why we didn't get his phone call?

Syabira I feel like her sticking to the same thing is going to be her down fall, however there are other bakers that I think will go first.

Carol, I'm sorry to say was in there way longer then she should have been. In the signature especially it was clear that all the other bakers were way more skilled. Not just that their cakes came out but that their decorations were as well. 

[sugarbaker design]

33 minutes ago, blueray said:

I'm glad that Sandro got star baker. That world looked amazing and tasted good! As soon as that was clear I called that he would get it as he has been close for many weeks now. I do wonder why we didn't get his phone call?

Isn't it possible there was a phone call?  Perhaps he called his partner and got an unenthusiastic response?  There could be so many reasons.

Edited October 15, 2022 by sugarbaker design

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, SnapHappy said:

And what happened to the gorgeous and colorful line drawings that accompanied the vice-over description of the signatures and the show stoppers?  I loved those.  Cheap bastards, taking them out. 

I’ve been seeing the drawings….? During this episode I was just thinking about how much I appreciate them.

[Cetacean]

???

They were all there on the episodes I have seen including this one.

[iMonrey]

Honestly, I think I would have sent Dawn home over Carole. All three of Dawn's bakes were disasters, whereas Carole at least had a semi-decent Showstopper. But it's pretty much a coin flip at this point. Neither one of them were going to win.

Quote

Each season is more about 3-4 actually talented bakers, and the place fillers that can do a few things in the kitchen. 

Yeah, I hate to say it but I agree. It doesn't really seem like anyone other than Maxy, Janusz or Sandro has a chance of making it to the finals. I mean, any one of them might screw something up but the others have been consistently mediocre, except for maybe Syabira, who seems like she's starting to flail. 

[loki310]

58 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

Isn't it possible there was a phone call?  Perhaps he called his partner and got an unenthusiastic response?  There could be so many reasons.

Or maybe there isn’t a loved one and he’d be willing to take a position across the pond nannying for a three year old who hates to sleep…

[Irlandesa]

7 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Honestly, I think I would have sent Dawn home over Carole. All three of Dawn's bakes were disasters, whereas Carole at least had a semi-decent Showstopper. But it's pretty much a coin flip at this point. Neither one of them were going to win.

I think flavor saved Dawn.

[MisterGlass]

While Syabira struggled compared to her previous weeks, she did some clever things outside of the technical that earned praise.  They said her textures in the final dessert were excellent - which most bakers struggled with - even if the flavor got lost.  I thought the idea of slitting the tops of the puddings so that they would burst and reveal a pattern was clever.  She did watermelon because the contrasting colors would be obvious, but if she'd found a better flavor and and color combination, that would have been a winning effect.

I would liked to have seen Kevin's little cloth wrapped puddings succeed.  That was an interest and I suppose traditional approach.

I was worried that Maxy's sunrise wouldn't show up in the slice the judges cut from her mousse cake because she put an oblong roll in a round cake, but it was there.

[sharifa70]

17 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

I would liked to have seen Kevin's little cloth wrapped puddings succeed.  That was an interest and I suppose traditional approach.

He was so hopeful that his “humble” dumplings would do well. I just wanted to hug him when they didn’t turn out as he hoped.

[J-Man]

Was anyone else surprised that neither Noel nor Matt made a "mousse/moose" joke?

[SnapHappy]

Wow, I've totally blanked on seeing the drawings.  Weird!

[tljgator]

Quote

Was anyone else surprised that neither Noel nor Matt made a "mousse/moose" joke?

I was more surprised to actually smile at something they did (I'm not usually much for their "humor")...I was genuinely amused at whichever of them busted out singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" as Sandro carried his stow stopper back to his bench. Wonder if it was spontaneous, and, thus, funnier?

[Cetacean]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It doesn't really seem like anyone other than Maxy, Janusz or Sandro has a chance of making it to the finals.

Well, that was the prediction for Jurgen and look what happened to him.

[dleighg]

2 hours ago, MisterGlass said:

I was worried that Maxy's sunrise wouldn't show up in the slice the judges cut from her mousse cake because she put an oblong roll in a round cake, but it was there

I also was very confused about how that was supposed to work. I didn't really get much of a sun image though.

[oliviabenson]

There is a Kevin?

[libgirl2]

43 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I also was very confused about how that was supposed to work. I didn't really get much of a sun image though.

I didn't either. Honestly, very few of them seemed to show an image. Probably Janusz and Carol.  

Dawn stayed on the bake and the flavor.  If that would have been a good design that worked, she had a good chance at star baker. 

Add me to not that impressed with Sandro's showstopper. It was fine but not overwhelmingly great.