S14.E07: Dessert Week

[justmehere]

9 hours ago, Ancaster said:

IF they had read through the instructions with the correct timing,

Paul mentioned the time needed, but I don't recall technical challenges ever mentioning it. It almost always happens that someone says that it isn't listed and they have to guess. With so many of them guessing 20-ish minutes, I doubt that the instructions mentioned baking for 40 minutes. Generally knowing the length of time required for steaming puddings is another matter, and apparently none of them did.

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, Lois Sandborne said:

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.

My sister was at a gathering where the hostess made gingerbread with lemon sauce or glaze. Apparently it was delicious. I wouldn't think to combine gingerbread with citrus.

[iMonrey]

21 hours ago, rab01 said:

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?

Maybe? It's hard to tell, I think mostly they were just being playful with each other. They were joking that maybe he was bad luck and that's why she wanted him to go away. But Cristy is kind of more reserved than the other bakers, so she's harder to read. 

17 hours ago, rur said:

A while back, I watched and 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. 

Yeah, I say this all the time, so I'm basically a broken record, but speed is not a criteria in successful baking. If you were to go into a bakery and buy something you don't care how long it took to make, you only care how it looks and how it tastes. Even a baking competition shouldn't really include a time limit, but I suppose there's no other way to make a TV show out of it. Still, it's a strange contest. It's not just about who's the best baker, it's who can bake good the fastest.

[chaifan]

Awww... poor Saku.  She was such a joy to have on screen.  She was on borrowed time, though, and it was her time to go.  I agree, Christy isn't nearly as enjoyable to watch, but her "bombe" looked better than anyone elses.

Count me among those who didn't think this was a "bombe" in the traditional sense.  It was just weird.  I wasn't impressed with any of them, and it's not something that would catch my eye even if done by professionals.  I'd still think it was weird. 

The technical...  I'm of a different opinion than most, and I don't think this was a timing issue, as in not enough time.  It really was mostly technique, not knowing how to make the steamed pudding.  OK, maybe the time frame was tight, but that's a given. 

I have to assume - and someone please chime in if you have actual knowledge of the production - that there are a number of test bakers who test out every technical challenge.  Obviously, the time given the contestants is something that the test bakers have been able to achieve.  And I have to assume it is a true "test" situation, where the test bakers are doing it for the first time, with the same limited directions, not that they can get it done in 90 minutes on the 3rd or 4th attempt.

I think the "fault" comes in that this particular group of bakers had no clue how to make this dish, and obviously didn't have a base knowledge of steamed puddings in general to make educated guesses where needed.  Is this Paul's fault?  No.  But he didn't have to be such an ass about it. 

I'm glad the bakers were better humoured about it than Paul was.  And it's their butt going home at the end of the day. 

Dan's wife not picking up was hilarious.  I had wondered about that before - how is it that everyone is around to answer the Star Baker's calls?  I guess not everyone is.

[rab01]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

I have to assume - and someone please chime in if you have actual knowledge of the production - that there are a number of test bakers who test out every technical challenge.  Obviously, the time given the contestants is something that the test bakers have been able to achieve.  And I have to assume it is a true "test" situation, where the test bakers are doing it for the first time, with the same limited directions, not that they can get it done in 90 minutes on the 3rd or 4th attempt.

According to articles about the show, Prue tests her own challenges the week before to make sure they're doable within the time limit. (They don't mention  whether Paul does the same.) So, it sounds like no one from the show tests whether someone going in blind can do it in time on the first try.

(The sample we see is made by staff on the day of filming but not as a test, just to have a pretty example to show on-screen.)  

[Dirge]

On 11/9/2023 at 8:00 AM, Lois Sandborne said:

Aw, I think Dan deserved his win this week.

I don't see how, when it seems like his trifle had not one layer of beef in it! 

Saku was the only one I heard mention that she used only whole eggs. I wonder if that was a basic piece of knowledge that she didn't have, and they used her lack of it as a kind of tiebreaker with Christy. 

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Dirge said:

Saku was the only one I heard mention that she used only whole eggs. I wonder if that was a basic piece of knowledge that she didn't have, and they used her lack of it as a kind of tiebreaker with Christy. 

Wasn't that for the creme caramel?  I thought her use of only whole eggs had to do with the fact that she was baking a Sri Lankan version using different ingredients, not from lack of knowledge. 

[caitmcg]

5 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Wasn't that for the creme caramel?  I thought her use of only whole eggs had to do with the fact that she was baking a Sri Lankan version using different ingredients, not from lack of knowledge. 

Regardless, the outcome was a too solid and stodgy texture. 

Her meringue shell was pretty, but it was her cream puffs that did her in; they faulted the texture of the choux as well as her too-muted flavors. 

It really seems like it was a wash between her and Christy. 

[RoxiP]

Dan's call to his wife reminded me of Jurgen, who I believe won Star Baker two weeks in a row and nobody answered the phone at home either time!

The week that Abbi was eliminated I believe that Dan, Roan (sorry if I butchered that) and Abbi were in the bottom three.  I personally thought that Roan should have gone, since both Abbi and Dan had been more successful in previous weeks.  

I think that dealing with the hosts during their bakes is part of the obstacles the bakers have to face.  I suspect that the bakers are told that interacting with them is part of the competition.  

Matty has won Star Baker so I wouldn't say that he is scraping through the competition.  Have all the remaining competitors won Star Baker at least once?  

[joanne3482]

I wasn't under the impression that they were pulling their technicals out because they were out of time and had to, I was under the impression they thought they were done (except Matty who put his in much later than everyone because of the caramel issue). Everyone was so surprised that they weren't even close to being done.  Why didn't they put them back in the oven? Once they unmolded one and discovered it was still a raw mess, put the rest back? I know that creation is different than a cake, but couldn't they have poked one with a toothpick to see the doneness before they pulled them? 

I too will miss Saku. I liked her a lot. 

[caitmcg]

49 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I wasn't under the impression that they were pulling their technicals out because they were out of time and had to, I was under the impression they thought they were done (except Matty who put his in much later than everyone because of the caramel issue). Everyone was so surprised that they weren't even close to being done.  Why didn't they put them back in the oven? Once they unmolded one and discovered it was still a raw mess, put the rest back? I know that creation is different than a cake, but couldn't they have poked one with a toothpick to see the doneness before they pulled them? 

Some of them were shown uncovering a pudding and using a tester, and then finding the puddings weren’t cooked (this why Tasha took hers out of the bain marie). But when they all pulled them out and began unmolding them, it was definitely because they were completely out of time. None of them got the puddings in the oven early enough to have them fully done within the allotted time. 

[pasdetrois]

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

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.

Reminiscent of flan, a dessert that I can't even look at.

Quote

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

The drips balance the show-offs.

Quote

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

I doubt Tasha would turn off her hearing device, but those devices aren't perfect and can malfunction, including needing adustment for audio volume. My family member can feel a bit disoriented when this happens.

Edited November 13, 2023 by pasdetrois

[Rinaldo]

I'm in general of the opinion that if one baker can execute a Technical challenge correctly within the allotted time, that proves that they all could have. In this case, none did, and I'm willing to concede that in this case not enough time was given. In the abstract it may have been workable, but success would depend on flawless quick caramel technique (a tricky business for amateurs), and knowledge (which none apparently had) that steamed puddings need a long time (40 minutes) in the oven.

[Ohiopirate02]

On 11/11/2023 at 7:57 PM, Irlandesa said:

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

Lizzie from Season 12 has been recreating the technicals each week over on Tik-Tok.  It took her 2 hours to make this one with her being able to research and plan before starting.  

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

Reminiscent of flan, a dessert that I can't even look at.

 

My mom used to make a killer flan. She used a dozen egg yolks condensed milk.... I have had flan before and no one comes close to hers. She was  from the DR and they make their flan heavier and richer. 

Edited November 13, 2023 by libgirl2

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

She was  from the DR and they make their flan heavier and richer. 

Maybe DR flan is better but cold and slimy is what I think about  when I think of all the flan I was offered in Spain. Cold. And. Slimy.

The creme caramel did not appeal to me. 

[mellyf]

17 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Lizzie from Season 12 has been recreating the technicals each week over on Tik-Tok.  It took her 2 hours to make this one with her being able to research and plan before starting.  

Okay, I've never really been tempted to download Tik-Tok, but this *really* tempts me!

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, mellyf said:

Okay, I've never really been tempted to download Tik-Tok, but this *really* tempts me!

I only follow her on TIk-Tok, but a lot of creators post the same content on different SM platforms like Instagram.

[libgirl2]

On 11/13/2023 at 9:25 PM, Irlandesa said:

Maybe DR flan is better but cold and slimy is what I think about  when I think of all the flan I was offered in Spain. Cold. And. Slimy.

The creme caramel did not appeal to me. 

I never thought it was slimy but we ate it cold. Though sometimes we ate it after it came out of the oven while it was slightly warm. 

Edited November 15, 2023 by libgirl2

[DkNNy79]

The creme caramels did not appeal to me either.  I don't like flan.

 

Honestly I'm not very adventurous when it comes to desserts.  I could never be a judge on the show.  It boggles my mind when they fit so many different elements together in 1 item. 

[janie jones]

On 11/12/2023 at 9:42 AM, chaifan said:

The technical...  I'm of a different opinion than most, and I don't think this was a timing issue, as in not enough time.  It really was mostly technique, not knowing how to make the steamed pudding.  OK, maybe the time frame was tight, but that's a given. 

I have to assume - and someone please chime in if you have actual knowledge of the production - that there are a number of test bakers who test out every technical challenge.  Obviously, the time given the contestants is something that the test bakers have been able to achieve.  And I have to assume it is a true "test" situation, where the test bakers are doing it for the first time, with the same limited directions, not that they can get it done in 90 minutes on the 3rd or 4th attempt.

I think the "fault" comes in that this particular group of bakers had no clue how to make this dish, and obviously didn't have a base knowledge of steamed puddings in general to make educated guesses where needed.  Is this Paul's fault?  No.  But he didn't have to be such an ass about it.

This is how I feel about technicals in general. If I as a teacher wrote a test that everyone failed, then it's on me for either testing them without teaching them, or for writing a bad test.

But technicals aren't that kind of test. Technicals are more like pre-tests: what do you walk into the classroom/tent already knowing?

So if the show wants to see who can demonstrate skill X without practicing, or from memory, I don't think it means there's something "wrong" with a technical if it turns out they have a group of bakers who haven't mastered skill X and don't know how to course correct if something goes wrong. It has simply revealed this group of bakers don't have that skill.

A lot of times there are technicals where some people are all "wtf I would never make this from scratch" and others are like "oh I make this a few times a year."

[Lady Jane]

On 11/11/2023 at 10:19 AM, 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. 

The ones I saw using a bain marie looked like they were pouring cold water from a measuring cup into the pan holding the ramekins. If you don't start off with hot water in the bain marie, you have to wait until the water comes up to temp in the oven--which if I caught it correctly weren't set much above boiling point, so getting the water up to temp would have taken EONS. You have to start items in a bain marie in hot water. Otherwise, they're just sitting there in cold water as it creeps up to temp for an hour.

If you notice, the "tops" of the sponges were cooked -- they'd been exposed to oven temp. The bottoms of the sponges, which had been sitting in cold water baths in the ovens, were not cooked once unmolded. This was just a failure of a basic technique. Tasha was marginally more successful because she took her sponges out of the water bath, allowing them to get at least a little bit of time at actual oven temp.

To cook something like that or a cheesecake in a bain marie, you need to heat a kettle of water and pour it into the tray containing the dessert as you put it in the oven, so it is getting heat from all around, as well as the steam.

Matty kept agitating his caramel, which causes crystals to form on the sides of the pan, and since sugar likes to be in crystals, when crystals from the side of the pan are constantly stirred back in to the liquified sugar, the whole thing crystalizes again. Melt your sugar, brush down any crystals that form on the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, and let it darken.

[Ancaster]

On 11/21/2023 at 1:40 PM, Lady Jane said:

The ones I saw using a bain marie looked like they were pouring cold water from a measuring cup into the pan holding the ramekins. If you don't start off with hot water in the bain marie, you have to wait until the water comes up to temp in the oven--which if I caught it correctly weren't set much above boiling point, so getting the water up to temp would have taken EONS. You have to start items in a bain marie in hot water. Otherwise, they're just sitting there in cold water as it creeps up to temp for an hour.

If you notice, the "tops" of the sponges were cooked -- they'd been exposed to oven temp. The bottoms of the sponges, which had been sitting in cold water baths in the ovens, were not cooked once unmolded. This was just a failure of a basic technique. Tasha was marginally more successful because she took her sponges out of the water bath, allowing them to get at least a little bit of time at actual oven temp.

To cook something like that or a cheesecake in a bain marie, you need to heat a kettle of water and pour it into the tray containing the dessert as you put it in the oven, so it is getting heat from all around, as well as the steam.

Matty kept agitating his caramel, which causes crystals to form on the sides of the pan, and since sugar likes to be in crystals, when crystals from the side of the pan are constantly stirred back in to the liquified sugar, the whole thing crystalizes again. Melt your sugar, brush down any crystals that form on the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, and let it darken.

 

Will you bake something for me please?  I know whatever you make will be delicious and perfect and wonderful.  Just no bananas please.

 

[Dobian]

The train wreck technical was hilarious to watch, but when every baker colossally fails like that, you have to figure the problem was with the challenge itself.  Paul and Prue should have given better instructions.  They know that with pudding, if it doesn't set then it will be a complete mess.

Not a fan of bombes.  They fall into the "why does this dessert exist?" category, similar to cakes that have jello molds on top.

I will miss Saku.  She reminds me a lot of one of the programmers on my team at work. :D

Edited January 3 by Dobian