S14.E07: Dessert Week

[Athena]

Quote

It's Dessert Week and the bakers take on a retro crème caramel, a classic treacle sponge and a showstopping meringue bomb. Who will peak and who'll wobble?

UK Original Air Date: November 7, 2023.

US Netflix Air Date: November 10, 2023.

[Corgi-ears]

Sometimes a baker might nick their finger with a knife, other times they get a gunshot wound in their side.

Then again, it feels like Josh should have two more star baker wins than he does, so maybe the shirt is accidentally metaphorical.

[Lois Sandborne]

Aw, I think Dan deserved his win this week. Once you cancel out the technical, which was a hilarious travesty in general, his signature and showstopper were both very highly rated. A green curry creme caramel sounded odd, but it must've been delicious. And I loved his blue dot bombe. Even though that whole challenge was a bit odd. Between that and next week's showstopper it looks like the construction projects are making a comeback.

They really focused on Cristy being in danger, but I thought Matty could've easily been on the chopping block. Either way though, the writing was pretty much on the wall for Saku. Sad to see her go, and they should consider keeping her around to throw lemons and eat raspberries.

 

[Danny Franks]

Yeah, if it turns out no one is able to follow your instructions and complete the technical in time, it's probably because you didn't give them enough time. Tasha only produced something edible because she decided to stop following them.

The creme caramel things were not my cup of tea. Gloopy, gelatinous slabs of sickly sweetness. I didn't think any of them really looked good, and I'm not sure how Paul and Prue ate their way through all those things.

Meringue bombes were a decent idea but I felt like the request for "some kind of dessert" inside was a bit too vague. Tasha did choux buns with jam in, while Dan did a whole trifle and made a mousse cake of some kind. Sure, variety is good but it didn't seem like everyone had the same amount of work to do.

I wish Cristy had gone instead of Saku. She's a drip, and a bland one, while Saku is a huge personality.

The final is starting to look like Dan, Tasha and Josh, as they're all consistently closer to the top than the bottom, while Cristy and Matty both seem more likely to crash and burn.

I do find myself wondering whether Tasha sneakily switches off her hearing aid so she can focus more easily, and likely to discourage inopportune banter from Noel and Alison.

[mellyf]

15 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

 

I wish Cristy had gone instead of Saku. She's a drip, and a bland one, while Saku is a huge personality.

 

I love Saku, but she's been struggling these last few episodes, more than Christy it seems like. And it's supposed to be about the food. And I like Christy too. The editors definitely focus on the bigger personalities, like Saku. There were a few episodes near the beginning, where it seemed like we rarely saw Josh except for the judging, and he's been one of the most consistent there. 

[AZChristian]

Best opening skit this season!

[Rammchick]

I guess I misinterpreted what a bombe is.  I thought they were going to layer the dessert into the meringue shell, sort of like a Baked Alaska.  

None of these sorts of desserts are my "cuppa" but some of the bombes were really beautiful.  So sad to see Saku go 😞

[Sailorgirl26]

18 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I do find myself wondering whether Tasha sneakily switches off her hearing aid so she can focus more easily, and likely to discourage inopportune banter from Noel and Alison.

That is completely against the character of this show.

It seems as though every week, there's some sort of speculation that Tasha is using her disability to gain an edge, which isn't fair to Tasha or the entire tone and tenor of this show. 

We've never seen anything to indicate any sort of ableism this season, or any other season when they've had contestants with impairments. YMMV.

I was surprised that Dan got star baker over Josh, but then another poster mentioned Dan's Thai (not curry!) inspired creme caramel, which was probably the tipping point -- it was definitely creative and unexpected and it worked, which likely put him over the top. 

Awww, Saku!! Just like with star baker, it probably came down to flavors, and Christy just had more than Saku. She has the best laugh of any recent competitor I can remember! 

What a great season this has been! 

[sugarbaker design]

Noel and Allison were hilarious during the horrific technical.

Noel:  This is a car crash!

Allison:  Paul and Pru will now rank the puddings from worst to least worst.

Edited November 10, 2023 by sugarbaker design

[SG429]

39 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

Noel and Allison were hilarious during the horrific technical.

Noel:  This is a car crash!

Allison: Paul and Pru will now rank the puddings from worst to least worst.

That had to be the funniest sequence in the history of the show. From the horror of the first disastrous unmolding, the heartbreak of the second, then the slow realization that the entire bake had been an epic fail. Everybody rose to the occasion and had a good time with it. Of course it should never come to this and represents a real misstep by the producers but it was good entertainment.

[Straycat80]

Sad to see Saku go, I’ll miss her bright smile. 
I love custards, so I would have loved to have taste tested all of them. The second challenge was hysterical! Im sure it would not have been such a disaster if they had given the bakers more time. At least everyone found humor in the ‘car crash’.

I’m glad Dan got star baker, he deserved it, it was funny when he called his wife to tell her and it went straight to voicemail. What a fun episode this was! 
I think F3 will be him, Josh and Tasha. 

Edited November 10, 2023 by Straycat80

[Sailorgirl26]

5 hours ago, SG429 said:

That had to be the funniest sequence in the history of the show. From the horror of the first disastrous unmolding, the heartbreak of the second, then the slow realization that the entire bake had been an epic fail. Everybody rose to the occasion and had a good time with it. Of course it should never come to this and represents a real misstep by the producers but it was good entertainment.

I was cracking up! I'm glad they decided it was so universally bad that they didn't consider it when judging. I think that's the first time a technical has ever been disqualified!! 😆

[MartyQui]

I love creme caramel...now I want to make some of those flavored versions!

 

 

[Pallida]

Cristy is making me think of the anxiety mosquito from Human Resources. But her spikes were really fun to look at!

[peeayebee]

What was Matty doing wrong with the caramel? I know many bakers have had this problem, but I can't remember what the correct method is.

Matty has really grown on me. I love his attitude and sense of humor.

I always remember when I was a kid having some kind of custard at a family friend's house, and just hating it. Sweet eggs. Gag. I figure the creme caramels would have tasted the same.

That Technical was hilarious. I mean, of course I felt bad for the bakers, but since everyone did terrible, everyone could laugh. 

Ginger and orange sounds soooo good together. I'll have to find some recipes for my Xmas baking.

I'm not a big fan of honey in baking, so Saku's (and Tasha's?) caramel didn't appeal to me at all.

I didn't care for the Showstopper challenge. A meringue ball with a dessert inside. Does any bakery offer that? Has any home baker made that? After seeing this challenge, would anyone want to try this? 

Like most people, I was very sad that Saku was sent packing. I had hoped it would be Christy -- Sorry, Christy -- though I admit her little meringues were so pretty.

[Salacious Kitty]

Cristy's meringue probably saved her, since the inside was such a mess. Saku's was a disaster. I will miss her silly laugh. 

[kay1864]

9 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

Im sure it would not have been such a disaster if they had given the bakers more time.

I noticed that Paul said the puddings had to steam for 40 minutes, but everyone steamed theirs for I think 20 to 30 (although they were all guessing, since it wasn’t in the instructions).

[hendersonrocks]

On 11/10/2023 at 9:36 AM, Sailorgirl26 said:

It seems as though every week, there's some sort of speculation that Tasha is using her disability to gain an edge, which isn't fair to Tasha or the entire tone and tenor of this show. 

This, a million times over. It’s disheartening to see the myriad ways ableism plays out in the tent as well as in life.

I thought Josh was the sure winner, was not at all prepared for Dan’s name to be called. It was Saku’s time and yet she will still be so very missed.

Edited November 11, 2023 by hendersonrocks

[PrincessPurrsALot]

55 minutes ago, kay1864 said:

I noticed that Paul said the puddings had to steam for 40 minutes, but everyone steamed theirs for I think 20 to 30 (although they were all guessing, since it wasn’t in the instructions).

Many of them didn't even have 40 minutes left when they put them in the oven.  I found it funny that Matty knew he didn't have enough time and that his caramel was way too pale, then only Tasha had a pudding that was cooked.  They definitely were not given enough time given that a perfect caramel that worked the first time was needed to make it within the time frame.  At the same time, I loved how all of them laughed through it.  Paul taking one look and turning around was great.  I expected Prue to say she should have finished the sample one since they only got to taste one during the technical. 

[paramitch]

I thought this was a lot of fun, and that technical was HILARIOUS, but also a huge fail by producers, so I was irritated at Paul's "disappointment" in them and that he wouldn't let it go.

I thought Matty was so funny and likable while he dealt with this week's challenges -- he just had such a good attitude, and it was refreshing to see.

Tasha continues to shine -- she was so smart on the technical challenge, and I appreciated that this gave her the ability to at least finish it. I thought her bombe was just okay -- but I was disappointed in the challenge, to be honest. People just putting desserts inside the shells felt weird to me. I was hoping they were making those actual bombe desserts (like the ones from Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, if anyone remembers that old movie)!

I am so heartsick to see Saku go, because she is so delightful and such a constant ray of sunshine. Her personality was so adorable and so much fun, and I will miss her in the tent.

I was happy for Dan's win, and still keep looking for signs that he is smug or arrogant and am not seeing them at all. He was nothing but kind and supportive of the others several times this week, and was very funny and humble when he won (and when his wife didn't pick up to his "I got Star Baker!" call!

[kittykat]

Holy hell that technical!  I give all parties involved major props for laughing it off but again an hour and a half?  For a steamed pudding.  Anytime a steamed pudding is a technical it goes horribly wrong.  Give them more time!  

Sad that Saku is gone but not surprised.  Nothing went too well for her this week.

[Grumpbump]

When *everyone* fails a test,  it's the fault of the test, not the participants.  I kept shouting at the telly (when the bakers said they had disappointed Paul), "its *his* fault!  Not yours!"  

Edited November 11, 2023 by Grumpbump

[Ancaster]

I was surprised that Dan didn't do well with the steamed pudding - he's from The North and is on the older end of the scale and probably grew up with a working knowledge of them from home.  They've also made a bit of a comeback recently as part of a pub lunch and such, so again. I'm surprised none of them seemed familiar, and especially Dan.  I would actually think it might be something someone going on the show would practice in advance just in case.

[illdoc]

12 hours ago, peeayebee said:

What was Matty doing wrong with the caramel? I know many bakers have had this problem, but I can't remember what the correct method is.

I know (via this show) that you aren't supposed to stir it (a lot?) because that causes it to crystallize. What I want to know is what Tasha was doing wrong in the technical because hers wasn't browning at all!

[peeayebee]

7 hours ago, paramitch said:

I was hoping they were making those actual bombe desserts (like the ones from Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, if anyone remembers that old movie)!

*raises hand* I haven't seen it since it first came out -- I'm that old -- but it was the first time I had heard of a bombe.

Quote

I was happy for Dan's win, and still keep looking for signs that he is smug or arrogant and am not seeing them at all. He was nothing but kind and supportive of the others several times this week, and was very funny and humble when he won (and when his wife didn't pick up to his "I got Star Baker!" call!

Yeah, I keep looking for smugness and don't see it. And, yes, so funny when he got voicemail. :D

[HelloooKitty]

On 11/9/2023 at 2:40 PM, Danny Franks said:

Yeah, if it turns out no one is able to follow your instructions and complete the technical in time, it's probably because you didn't give them enough time. Tasha only produced something edible because she decided to stop following them.

The creme caramel things were not my cup of tea. Gloopy, gelatinous slabs of sickly sweetness. I didn't think any of them really looked good, and I'm not sure how Paul and Prue ate their way through all those things.

Meringue bombes were a decent idea but I felt like the request for "some kind of dessert" inside was a bit too vague. Tasha did choux buns with jam in, while Dan did a whole trifle and made a mousse cake of some kind. Sure, variety is good but it didn't seem like everyone had the same amount of work to do.

I wish Cristy had gone instead of Saku. She's a drip, and a bland one, while Saku is a huge personality.

The final is starting to look like Dan, Tasha and Josh, as they're all consistently closer to the top than the bottom, while Cristy and Matty both seem more likely to crash and burn.

I do find myself wondering whether Tasha sneakily switches off her hearing aid so she can focus more easily, and likely to discourage inopportune banter from Noel and Alison.

Tasha doesn’t have a hearing aid she has a cochlear implant and you can’t “switch it off”. You have to disconnect it and remove it. And then put it somewhere super safe bc , at least in America, they are are expensive. 

How is Matty still there? Every week for about the past three I’ve thought he was going home but he squeaks by. 

[festivus]

I continue to not be a fan of technicals that are designed for the contestants to fail but holy shit that was the funniest thing I've ever seen on this show. All the contestants laughing at their horrible bakes was just hilarious. I mean, nobody makes stuff like that anymore unless they old and isn't Paul always bitching about things being dated? Shutup Paul!

That being said, I would love to taste one of those things done right. That ginger sauce that you pour over it sounded heavenly. 

The meringue ball challenge was dumb. Every one of them was as ugly as homemade shit except Saku's. Even broken it was the only pretty one. Now because of this show I have become obsessed with Pavlovas and I would have rather have seen them make that even if it has been done before. Someday I'm gonna try my hand at making one.

[Ancaster]

21 minutes ago, festivus said:

I continue to not be a fan of technicals that are designed for the contestants to fail but holy shit that was the funniest thing I've ever seen on this show. All the contestants laughing at their horrible bakes was just hilarious. I mean, nobody makes stuff like that anymore unless they old and isn't Paul always bitching about things being dated? Shutup Paul!

 

Retro "puddings" (desserts) have made a comeback in the UK recently.  Anyone who's seen a cooking show with Gordon Ramsay has seen sicky toffee pudding referenced.  Whilst these days it's most likely just baked, traditionally it's steamed.  In some of the earlier GBBO seasons, I'm sure some of the older contestants would have been just fine with this challenge.  I think the main reason they all pretty much failed is because they read "sponge" and baked the cake as if it was a regular baked sponge cake, not a steamed cake (in a bain marie).  The failure was with the contestants not the judges because none of them knew the proper technique.

I know people like to get their knickers in a twist every week because "production didn't give them enough time in the technical", but we've also seen time and time again that people with the technical knowledge and experience have succeeded.  Yes, Paul wanged on about it a bit too much, but he's a proud Northerner, where puddings still rule, and I'm sure he actually was disappointed that no-one knew how to make such a traditional and well-loved pudding.

As it is, I haven't laughed so much at a baking/cooking show on TV ever, and we could all do with a little levity in the world at the moment, so thank you GBBO for your inadvertently well-timed levity.

[dewelar]

13 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

sicky toffee pudding

Yes, that's rather how I feel about it too 🤣

[Ancaster]

2 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Yes, that's rather how I feel about it too 🤣

Ha ha ha!  Me too! 🤣  (Should I leave it uncorrected?!)

[iMonrey]

On 11/10/2023 at 9:49 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Allison:  Paul and Pru will now rank the puddings from worst to least worst.

Loved that line. I tend to agree with @Grumpbump that when every single technical is a disaster, it's the fault of the technical. It was a bad choice.

14 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Matty has really grown on me. I love his attitude and sense of humor.

Same. When I find myself worrying about how he will do I suddenly realize how invested I am in him sticking around. He's got such a fun personality and great attitude.

14 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I didn't care for the Showstopper challenge. A meringue ball with a dessert inside. Does any bakery offer that? Has any home baker made that? After seeing this challenge, would anyone want to try this? 

I seem to recall seeing something like this on another show. Not a cooking show, but just some show or movie where a dessert was served that way. So I do think it's a "thing" out there, perhaps specific to the UK. And I think it's a fairly reasonable compromise between the overly produced constructions of yore and the requirement that something be a "showstopper" in its presentation. But really, I thought the only one that looked cool was Cristy's. All the other ones looked like grade school art projects.

I think it's a safe bet that Josh and Dan are a lock for the finals but I think that third spot is up for grabs. Everyone else has been both up for star baker (or won) and up for elimination. 

[AnnaBaptist]

9 hours ago, paramitch said:

I thought this was a lot of fun, and that technical was HILARIOUS, but also a huge fail by producers, so I was irritated at Paul's "disappointment" in them and that he wouldn't let it go.

I guess we are "getting our knickers in a twist" here, but it was obvious the bakers did not get enough time. They should have had two hours at least. Paul was on it like a fly on poop and would not stop referencing it, which was indeed annoying, especially as the rest of the show was fun and light-hearted.

Such a lovely group of bakers. I have truly enjoyed this season.

[festivus]

I don't watch other cooking shows, only this one. As long as I've been watching I've seen Paul call out contestants on things being old fashioned and it was most always the older contestants. Now he wants to use an older dessert as a challenge and wants to be salty when no one gets it right. You can't have it both ways, Paul. I can and will call him out on it. 

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I think the main reason they all pretty much failed is because they read "sponge" and baked the cake as if it was a regular baked sponge cake, not a steamed cake (in a bain marie).  The failure was with the contestants not the judges because none of them knew the proper technique.

I thought all the bakers used the correct bain marie technique.  The only reason Tasha's were at least partially done was that she decided half-way through that that wasn't going to get them done in time. 

[tleigh]

On 11/9/2023 at 3:40 PM, Danny Franks said:

I wish Cristy had gone instead of Saku. She's a drip, and a bland one, while Saku is a huge personality.

So you you think it should be a personality contest, rather than a baking contest.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

7 hours ago, Grumpbump said:

When *everyone* fails a test,  it's the fault of the test, not the participants.  I kept shouting at the telly (when the bakers said they had disappointed Paul), "its *his* fault!  Not yours!"  

100% this^.   When I was a TA in grad school, we gave a test with an unexpected section asking the students  to define 50 terms, most of which were very obscure.  The class as a whole averaged 30% right, with the best person coming in at 60%.  I had to explain to the prof that the problem was the test, not the students. 

3 hours ago, illdoc said:

I know (via this show) that you aren't supposed to stir it (a lot?) because that causes it to crystallize. What I want to know is what Tasha was doing wrong in the technical because hers wasn't browning at all!

I wondered if she added too much water.  It wouldn't brown until the water evaporated.  That would take much longer.

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Retro "puddings" (desserts) have made a comeback in the UK recently.  Anyone who's seen a cooking show with Gordon Ramsay has seen sicky toffee pudding referenced.  Whilst these days it's most likely just baked, traditionally it's steamed.  In some of the earlier GBBO seasons, I'm sure some of the older contestants would have been just fine with this challenge.  I think the main reason they all pretty much failed is because they read "sponge" and baked the cake as if it was a regular baked sponge cake, not a steamed cake (in a bain marie).  The failure was with the contestants not the judges because none of them knew the proper technique.

All of the bakers used a bain marie.  It was specified in the recipe.  They also all used hot water in it.  Across the board the underestimated the time needed, thinking that because they were small they would need 20-25 minutes.  Per  Paul, 40 were needed.  However, they all [put them in as soon as the could so they didn't delay based on their expectations.  Also, we saw multiple bakers test their puddings and put them back in, leaving them as long as they could and still get them plated. 

Tasha, realizing hers were way under at 20 minutes and knowing time was tight, took hers out of the bain marie and completed cooking them directly on the rack.  

The issue wasn't a lack of knowledge or not following directions. The issue was with the time allotted and the bakers ability to complete the task within that time.   

 

[freeser]

47 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

 The issue wasn't a lack of knowledge or not following directions. The issue was with the time allotted and the bakers ability to complete the task within that time.   

It is obvious the bakers were not given the proper amount of time.  As everyone has stated, when they ALL fail the problem is not with the bakers, but with the powers-that-be not giving them the correct amount of time.

Also, wouldn't it be interesting to know how much time the baker/bakers who made the desserts that Paul and Prue eat took to create their samples.  Paul and Prue go on about how they want the bakers to make theirs look as perfect as the samples they are eating.  

Not only should we assume the Paul and Prue samples took much longer to make than the time the contestants were given.  But from what I have read many times about cooking shows - there are quite a few of the same recipes made - not just the final one everyone sees.  They make many copies so that if there are flops, they will show only the best one.  The samples could have taken much longer time, were made by people who had experience and who had the ability to make flops and have them discarded.  The contestants get just one chance and can't hide their mistakes.  It is just a TV show of course, but his particular time it seemed very unfair to the amateur cooks.  

 

[rab01]

GBBO used to have masterclass episodes where the judges show how they would have handled the challenge. Does that still exist? If so, I want to watch Paul Hollywood do this week's technical.  I'm guessing he can but I still want to see it actually done.

Separately, I may be the only one here but I like Christy so I'm happy she managed to survive.  (I think Matt is actually a weaker baker.)  Did anyone else feel like Noel was over the line in refusing to leave her alone when she asked for space to do her work?

[illdoc]

1 hour ago, freeser said:

Not only should we assume the Paul and Prue samples took much longer to make than the time the contestants were given. 

Didn't Paul say something like "this step should take 20 min, the baking should take 40 min, we've given them 90 min, that's enough time but they have to move quickly"? 

[Quilt Fairy]

They haven't had the Masterclass episodes since the Mary Berry era, and I don't think the original ones are on Netflix anymore.  

This reminds me of a Top Chef challenge, I think on Last Chance Kitchen because there were only 2 chefs.  Tom Collichio was asked to pick out and make one of his recipes and he was timed.  The other 2 chefs then had to make the same dish in the same amount of time.  Which I thought was terribly unfair, since of course you can do a familiar recipe much quicker than one you've never seen before. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

4 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Didn't Paul say something like "this step should take 20 min, the baking should take 40 min, we've given them 90 min, that's enough time but they have to move quickly"? 

He did.  So 20 minutes if you have no problem with the caramel.  40 minutes to bake.  Add in time to read the recipe and think through what you need in terms of equipment and visualize the end product.  Time to make the pudding batter.  The syrup and custard need to be made while the pudding bakes.  Time to unmold very hot puddings.  90 minutes demands perfection and likely only works if you knew in advance how best to manage your time. 

The meringue bombes were weird to me.  I have never before seen a bombe that is a sphere; I have only seen half spheres/domes.  Doing the lower half made this much more complicated and more likely to fail. That made it feel more like a construction challenge than a baking challenge.  Then again, I am not a fan of meringue, especially hard, so that was very unappealing to me.  

[Sesquipedalia]

On 11/10/2023 at 10:37 AM, SG429 said:

That had to be the funniest sequence in the history of the show. From the horror of the first disastrous unmolding, the heartbreak of the second, then the slow realization that the entire bake had been an epic fail. Everybody rose to the occasion and had a good time with it. Of course it should never come to this and represents a real misstep by the producers but it was good entertainment.

Second funniest for me. Thank you for giving me a reason to post this, which I never get tired of watching.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=200354667585903

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Sesquipedalia

[Ancaster]

4 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I thought all the bakers used the correct bain marie technique.  The only reason Tasha's were at least partially done was that she decided half-way through that that wasn't going to get them done in time. 

They did use the right equipment (bains marie), but they treated the puddings as regular sponges in terms of baking time, which is way less time than they (the puddings) needed and were baked for.  IF they had known the proper technique/baking time and IF they had read through the instructions with the correct timing, and IF they had pushed on quickly, they could have completed the task, but it would not, as Paul said, have been easy.

Edited November 11, 2023 by Ancaster

[SnapHappy]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

This reminds me of a Top Chef challenge, I think on Last Chance Kitchen because there were only 2 chefs.  Tom Collichio was asked to pick out and make one of his recipes and he was timed.  The other 2 chefs then had to make the same dish in the same amount of time.  Which I thought was terribly unfair, since of course you can do a familiar recipe much quicker than one you've never seen before. 

I loved these challenges, and always took notes, so I could make a Tom C. recipe in 20 minutes. Of course it always took me longer, but they were great gourmet dishes. I know I still have my notes somewhere.  Lots of sun dried tomatoes back in those days.....*LOL*  

 

[rur]

22 hours ago, freeser said:

It is obvious the bakers were not given the proper amount of time.  As everyone has stated, when they ALL fail the problem is not with the bakers, but with the powers-that-be not giving them the correct amount of time.

I'm not really sure why someone associated with the show has such a fascination with time. I think this is a show where the audience wants to see everyone do well, and the time limits often prohibit that. I'm not saying there should be no time limits, but this show demonstrated that sometimes the time constrictions border on the ridiculous. 

A while back, I watched an offshoot of this program with professional bakers competing. Some of the things they "completed" looked worse than what the amateur bakers on the flagship show presented. It convinced me that the relatively arbitrary time limits were not really fair. 

Edited November 12, 2023 by rur

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Retro "puddings" (desserts) have made a comeback in the UK recently.  Anyone who's seen a cooking show with Gordon Ramsay has seen sicky toffee pudding referenced.  Whilst these days it's most likely just baked, traditionally it's steamed.  In some of the earlier GBBO seasons, I'm sure some of the older contestants would have been just fine with this challenge.  I think the main reason they all pretty much failed is because they read "sponge" and baked the cake as if it was a regular baked sponge cake, not a steamed cake (in a bain marie).  The failure was with the contestants not the judges because none of them knew the proper technique.

I know people like to get their knickers in a twist every week because "production didn't give them enough time in the technical", but we've also seen time and time again that people with the technical knowledge and experience have succeeded.  Yes, Paul wanged on about it a bit too much, but he's a proud Northerner, where puddings still rule, and I'm sure he actually was disappointed that no-one knew how to make such a traditional and well-loved pudding.

This is Paul's recipe for the pudding. The times don't just mean the bakers had to be perfect but the stoves had to be as well.

And it looks like the steps are sequential for the most part and can't be done at the same time.  Caramel needs to be watched, correct?  And that needs to be done before they can work on the sponge since it goes into the mold before it goes into the oven.

It's like a hour and 10 minutes of actual cooking only leaving them 20 minutes for thinking, cutting and mixing.

On Reddit, there are usually people who attempt to make the technical so I'll be curious to see how long it takes them.

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I think it's a safe bet that Josh and Dan are a lock for the finals but I think that third spot is up for grabs. Everyone else has been both up for star baker (or won) and up for elimination. 

Dan was up for elimination in week 3 and I think it could be argued that either Matty or he deserved to go more than Abbi did.

Tasha hasn't been up for elimination yet.  She was in the bottom half this week but she was described as more "middling" than truly in danger and I think she may have improved her position with her signature.  Only Saku and Christy were in danger. 

[dgpolo]

9 hours ago, festivus said:

The meringue ball challenge was dumb. Every one of them was as ugly as homemade shit except Saku's. Even broken it was the only pretty one.

I agree, I did not like the look of any of them, just the way the top and bottom looked when together. I think there were only a couple that were actual spheres the other were some weird ovoid shape. Saku's would probably looked good with only the top on a base.

[Quilt Fairy]

45 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Saku's would probably looked good with only the top on a base.

I thought Saku's was the most attractive, broken base or not. 

[Eliza422]

This technical gave me flashbacks to the Stroopwaffel and was it Sussex pudding? Where they had to cook a whole lemon in pastry? I think both of those had universal disastrous results too…

i would blame both of those on the recipe/timing too, just like this one.

at least they were good sports about it.

 

[Lois Sandborne]

On 11/10/2023 at 6:26 PM, peeayebee said:

Ginger and orange sounds soooo good together. I'll have to find some recipes for my Xmas baking.

It's one of my favorite flavor combinations. One Christmas, I made orange chocolate gingerbread. It was delicious, but I lost track of the recipe so I haven't made it again.

13 hours ago, festivus said:

Every one of them was as ugly as homemade shit except Saku's. Even broken it was the only pretty one.

On Extra Slice they called it a floral swimming cap. I had to agree there was a strong resemblance.

8 hours ago, rab01 said:

GBBO used to have masterclass episodes where the judges show how they would have handled the challenge. Does that still exist? If so, I want to watch Paul Hollywood do this week's technical.  I'm guessing he can but I still want to see it actually done.

They scrapped those for the all-star holiday shows. I wish they would make a comeback too.