S06.E06: Pastry

[Kohola3]

Quote

Is it just me, but does this season seem a lot tougher than previous seasons? Flaounas & vol-au-vents are not the kind of things the average home cook is going to be experienced in.

I know there have been a lot of tough challenges but I don't recall one where absolutely no baker had heard of the item.  And those sounded quite, well, vile. As Flora said, no offense to the Cypriots.

[Maya]

I can't imagine eating clementine peel. Wouldn't it be really tough and bitter? 

There's something really fake about Flora. I want to like her but I can't. 

[biakbiak]

33 minutes ago, Maya said:

I can't imagine eating clementine peel. Wouldn't it be really tough and bitter? 

There's something really fake about Flora. I want to like her but I can't. 

Not really the skin is thin, some members of my family eat the whole clementine and I make a quick clementine marmalade that uses the peels.

[Sharpie66]

For the fish-and-fruit combo, I once had an excellent halibut with marionberry glaze on the Oregon coast that I still wish I could replicate at home.

[justmehere]

I felt bad for Alvin after the reveal about his military father and the "failure is not an option" attitude apparently instilled in younger days. To "fail" publicly would be terrible in that view, so no wonder he was so stressed. He also had time management issues (perhaps due to resulting perfectionism). I'm sure he's a terrific baker when he can create on his own schedule. I don't think he failed; he just seemed to have an internalized view that weighed on him and made things difficult.

I didn't quite understand Nadiya being so low in the bunch when her signature bake turned out quite well and received good comments. I recall them saying the frangipane was perfect and it looked really beautiful as well (perfectly sliced pears). I know she didn't get her show-stopper assembled, but she wasn't last in the technical, either. I agree that it does seem like improper baking (over or under) and not having good flavors are worse than running out of time for assembly but doing well on individual elements. They said she did know how to make puff pastry, and her fillings were great.

Re: difficult technical challenges: One of the tortes in a previous season had something like 20 wafer-thin layers that they had to get just right or the whole thing wouldn't work. However, it does seem like Paul delights in making it extra hard this season. Mary didn't even know this one and seemed a little uncomfortable with his choice.

Edited July 24, 2016 by justmehere

[Kohola3]

Paul is a jerk.  That is all I have to say on that.

[doodlebug]

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2015 at 4:37 PM, 3 is enough said:

Thank you, Danny Franks and shandy.  

Maybe the type of personality that is drawn to medicine is also drawn to baking?  My daughter loves to bake-she isn't at Tamal's level, but she is pretty good.

As a physician myself, I can say that following a recipe is a great deal like doing lab experiments in chemistry.  I think there is a certain personality drawn to chemistry who would also be drawn to baking.  Following steps, combining ingredients and waiting to see if the desired outcome is obtained.  And, of course, plenty of people who like chemistry go into medicine.  That's my take on it anyway.

As an American MD, it sounds like Tamal is sort of equivalent to a second or third year resident in anesthesiology.  However, the training systems in the UK vs the US as well as the types of work done, etch, are so different it is hard to compare.  The medical school system is also completely different in that, in the UK, the student starts in undergrad while in the US, one has to have an undergrad degree before they can start med school.  It's really apples and oranges and hard to make direct comparisons

[adhoc]

Alvin's visible stress this week was offset by healthy doses of humor sprinkled throughout the episode.

Mary (about the technical): I think that's unfair. It is the toughest challenge yet.

Paul (benign smile): Great, isn't it?

I'm sure Alvin's a nice guy and more-than-competent baker. Not everyone does brilliantly in competition, especially when the conditions are not ideal. If Alvin's father is military ("failure is not an option"), perhaps there was some sort of added expectation/pressure that did not allow Alvin to enjoy the competition as much as he could have.

When they showed Paul and Mary discussing who looked to be in trouble halfway through the episode--which I was surprised at, because they usually wait until after the Showstopper to comment on who's in trouble--and Mary said that Alvin would need a miracle to stay, I thought maybe they inserted that earlier than usual because Alvin was in fact going to redeem himself. (After all, why show Mary stating the obvious?) Well played, GBBO.

Those things I grew up with--Mom would occasionally buy them and fill them with a mixture of tunafish and Campbell's Cream-of-Something soup--those things are called vol-au-vents?  Who knew? I've only ever known them as Peppridge Farm Puffed Pastry Shells. 

Thank goodness closed captioning for the streamed-over-the-internet episodes was fixed for episodes 5 and 6!

[stillshimpy]

Good lord, flaunas sound like something to which one is sentenced as punishment.  Nothing says, "I'll pass" like shots of chefs visibly recoiling from the smell of the stuff used to spice it.  Flauna lovers of the world, know that I will never steal your favorite treat.  

Aha, I have discovered why Rinaldo interpreted a remark differently than I did when it came to the rules of a technical:  You'd already seen this episode where Tamal openly looks around wondering what the hell to do and then comments, "No help there" while laughing about how lost they all are on the gig.  *returns last weeks hearty handshake*  No harm, no foul on that one :-) 

Poor Alvin, I liked him, but he did seem to be quite stressed out and when he talked about his father being THAT type of military dad, I did wince on his behalf.  This marks the only time I watched someone being eliminated and had this ultra cheerful thought:  "Well hopefully his dad is already dead."  I know, I know, I'll have to eat a flauna to restore my karmic balance.  

By the way, I sort of got the feeling Mary shared my (lack of) enthusiasm for the concept of a flauna:  while they were being judged instead of saying her usual round of "that's absolutely scrumptious" "lovely flavor" etc.  she would say, "That tastes like a flauna."  

Perhaps I was projecting, but it occurred to me that I could stick a sneaker in my mouth and accurately judge it as "That tastes like a Ked" but that would still not be a good thing. 

Edited July 24, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

As a physician myself, I can say that following a recipe is a great deal like doing lab experiments in chemistry.  I think there is a certain personality drawn to chemistry who would also be drawn to baking.  Following steps, combining ingredients and waiting to see if the desired outcome is obtained.

Which is why I like to cook, but not bake. Baking is chemistry and takes precision. Not my strong suit. I'm a slap dash - let's put a little of this and a little of that, oops too much of that, let's add more of this to counteract - type of cook. When I tried that in HS chemistry - well, let's just say the results were less than ideal.

But do I love watching people bake.

43 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

Poor Alvin, I liked him, but he did seem to be quite stressed out and when he talked about his father being THAT type of military dad, I did wince on his behalf.  This marks the only time I watched someone being eliminated and had this ultra cheerful thought:  "Well hopefully his dad is already dead."  I know, I know, I'll have to eat a flauna to restore my karmic balance. 

I cringed a little when he said that, had a military brat flashback. The look in his eyes when he said that just killed me. I worried about his father's reaction, so I think your thought was very cheerful. Guess I'll have to join you and find a flauna to eat.

[RedInk]

21 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I liked Alvin, and was sad to see him eliminated over someone who didn't finish her showstopper.  I agree that Alvin seemed more stressed the last couple of shows, but feel that had anyone else not finished a challenge, that would have been it for them.   Your mileage may vary, of course. I'm allowed to feel my feelings.

Agreed. Seems that the penalty should be greater for not executing a recipe, especially if you were ranked fairly low in another challenge. 

And my super unpopular opinion is that it actually pains me to watch Nadiya at times. Alvin seemed somewhat stressed, but Nadiya looks absolutely miserable when things aren't going her way. The concerned expressions and crying...she's cried the last two episodes. She's human and certainly allowed, but I get no joy watching her. Although she is quite funny when she's more confident. 

Edited July 24, 2016 by RedInk

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

The Great British Bake Off's Pastry Week Stresses Out The Contestants

Who's in the upper crust, and who flakes out?

[paramitch]

I wanted some vol-au-vents so badly after watching this. My goodness. I also found myself wanting to SAY vol-au-vent. What a fun word! 

I'm very surprised at the descriptions of Flora as "brooding" -- to me, she seems invariably (and shockingly) unflappable, sunny and cheerful. But then I like all the bakers, as I almost always do each season.

On 9/11/2015 at 1:10 PM, Schweedie said:

(Also, Sandy, Nadiya and Tamal got together to watch this episode, how cute is that?)

That's just lovely to hear. The three of them are all so adorable and have (I think it's no coincidence) a lot of humility and humor, so it doesn't surprise me that they'd bond. I'm just bummed they didn't videotape or live-feed it for us! ;-)

On 9/11/2015 at 5:57 PM, Rinaldo said:

over the course of the UK series, Paul has not seemed (to me) to have any overall gender bias. We've had all-male final 3s as well as all-female and mixed ones. His (and Mary's) choices haven't always been exactly the same as mine (of course I can't taste the results), but they've made sense to me and I don't see any hidden scheme at work.

I've never ever felt like Paul was flirting with the younger contestants -- I actually really do think he tends to be careful with them, and to be as supportive as possible. He's still tough with them, but I think he's often much kinder and funnier with contestants than he's given credit for being. Did he make a really regrettable, hurtful and public mistake on the U.S. show where his family was concerned? Sure. But I've never felt he was compromised as a judge, ever.

On 9/14/2015 at 11:58 AM, Danny Franks said:

Ha. Well, she asks him plenty, but he's keeping it all buttoned up tight. Apparently he's rather amused by his heartthrob status, though. My main priority is sourcing some of the stuff he makes, and trying it for myself (eating it, not actually baking it).

Thanks for the inside-scoop insights! I kind of love that he's amused at being a heartthrob, but that's because I think Tamal really comes across as a centered, hardworking and quite humble person. I think it's awesome -- he's a beautiful guy, and a patently nice one, so I'm happy for whatever this brings him.

21 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I liked Alvin, and was sad to see him eliminated over someone who didn't finish her showstopper.  I agree that Alvin seemed more stressed the last couple of shows, but feel that had anyone else not finished a challenge, that would have been it for them.   Your mileage may vary, of course. I'm allowed to feel my feelings.

I really have never found that the final judging was anything but mathematical and evaluated sectionally, by challenge, third-by-third.

On the signature tarts, Nadiya appeared to be top half -- 4/7-ish at worst (the words "stunning" were used repeatedly). Alvin was bottom half and possibly even near the bottom overall (5/7 or 6/7) -- his pastry was overbaked while his frangipani and plums were both raw.

On the technical, Alvin was 6/7 while Nadiya was nearer the middle, again, at 4/7.

On the final Showstopper, Nadiya's pastry was pronounded "properly done," but not finalized, while her fillings were again pronounced as "stunning." Mary even ended the judging there by saying: "We can see by this that you can make the puff pastry because the layers are there, it just didn't get chilled in time.")

She was able to present both components even if (as with Alvin's cookies a few challenges back) they weren't properly assembled. Meanwhile, Alvin's puff pastry was raw, and while the filling was good on half of them despite that, the filling on the other half was pronounced tasteless. 

So mathematically, I just don't think it was ever all that close. Nadiya was definitely a solid 6/7 overall this week but there was a large gap after her to the fact that Alvin was very easily 7/7 (7/7 on his signature, 6/7 on technical, and again 7/7 on his showstopper). So I think his departure was fair and wasn't a mark of any favoritism or cumulative judging for Nadiya.

19 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Exactly.  As soon as they loved her flavors, I knew she was going to stay.  Not finishing, or turning in an absolute disaster like when Dorret's mousse didn't set, is very hurtful.  But there are still enough contestants where bad flavor is seen as worse than not finishing completely.  I haven't taken a tally but I get the sense that is how the judges prioritize as long as a good faith effort to finish was made. 

I liked both of the bottom people but yes, in a way it was a relief to see Alvin go since he has seemed more stressed.

I think Alvin seems like a total sweetheart, and he's made some amazing-looking food (that bread!), I just think this day he had the worst day of the bunch, and when he failed, his failings were on both flavor and technique at a time when he really needed to outdo himself to stay.

Meanwhile: Where do all of my fellow U.S. PBS-watchers catch "Extra Slice?" Do I need to simply search for it? I'm leery because of spoilers, but I wish they'd show us on PBS everything BBC viewers got, darn it!

[trow125]

3 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

By the way, I sort of got the feeling Mary shared my (lack of) enthusiasm for the concept of a flauna:  while they were being judged instead of saying her usual round of "that's absolutely scrumptious" "lovely flavor" etc.  she would say, "That tastes like a flauna."  

Also, I haven't seen every season, but this is the first time I can remember that there were no shots of Mary tasting one of Paul's recipes during the part of the technical challenge where they sit in the gazebo and talk about the food in question. Usually we see her sampling the treat and enthusing over how scrummy it is, even if it's something she'd never heard of before. I'm guessing she tried the flaouna and made a horrible face, and that's why it was left on the cutting-room floor!

[stillshimpy]

Oh my, why does a Flauona sound even worse to me than my incorrect Fluana? Something about those just did not appeal to me on multiple levels.  For one thing, I have a thing against piney/juniper sort of flavors in anything other than gin....and even then it can tip into the "not bad, not bad....no wait, awful, absolutely hideous.  I feel like I'm that poisoned kid in the Sixth Sense, downing Pinesol" quite swiftly.  Everyone has a flavor that just can't with and that's one of mine, I guess.   Luckily, double zout is on hand to handle the world's stash of black licorice for us, now I just need to sidestep flaunoas for the remainder of my natural years.  Ought to be easy, apparently I'll be able to identify them by smell.  There's a reason "Piney fresh cheese" is not a thing.

I'm very surprised at the descriptions of Flora as "brooding" -- to me, she seems invariably (and shockingly) unflappable, sunny and cheerful. But then I like all the bakers, as I almost always do each season.

I know we're always marveling at what a poised, accomplished and cheerful soul she is.  We're always sitting here marveling "Wow, that's someone's kid, at nineteen.  They must be so freaking proud!"  

 Guess I'll have to join you and find a flauna to eat.

No need, no need.  I can earworm you with this, the earworm to end all earworms.  A friend of mine manages bluegrass musical festivals and we were chatting back and forth about this guy, Rushad Eggleston, yesterday.  I was ear-wormed with I Peed on a Bird to the extent that both my husband and I have been signing that at each other from opposite ends of the house all morning.  

Now everyone is going to want to pummel me with piney baked goods :-)  

[Kohola3]

Quote

 I'm guessing she tried the flaouna and made a horrible face, and that's why it was left on the cutting-room floor!

I would bet dollars to donuts that you are correct especially having seen the faces of the contestants smelling the ingredients.  One of those things Cypriots probably grew up with and are used to.  Mary is normally quite adventurous so these must be especially vile.

[RealityCheck]

2 hours ago, paramitch said:

Meanwhile: Where do all of my fellow U.S. PBS-watchers catch "Extra Slice?" Do I need to simply search for it? I'm leery because of spoilers, but I wish they'd show us on PBS everything BBC viewers got, darn it!

I understand why PBS doesn't air "An Extra Slice" since the host and most of the guests are British celebrities and relatively unknown to the US audience.  However, I wish PBS would air the Masterclasses where Paul and Mary demonstrate each of the technical challenges.  Paul steps out of his judge persona and he and Mary provides all kinds of baking tips.

[Rinaldo]

All true. However, not even on the Masterclass did they show us the Schichttorte (the 20-layer alternating-colors grilled cake). It was a tacit admission that, much as the bakers had said afterward, "Nobody is ever going to make this if they're not being ordered to."

[DHDancer]

9 minutes ago, RealityCheck said:

I understand why PBS doesn't air "An Extra Slice" since the host and most of the guests are British celebrities and relatively unknown to the US audience.  However, I wish PBS would air the Masterclasses where Paul and Mary demonstrate each of the technical challenges.  Paul steps out of his judge persona and he and Mary provides all kinds of baking tips.

I actually think this is a  bit condescendng myself: the PBS audience, as a general rule, is more "worldly" than most, and IMO is interested in seeing more of other countries sensibilities (celebrities etc -- note how popular Graham Norton's show is).  Sigh.  I'm lucky that I have OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) but for some reason OPB just uses the PBS feeds on this stuff.

Back to the episode, I found myself wondering why Nadiya didn't hedge her bets and also cut vol-au-vents from her original pastry (I didn't really understand the problem to be honest -- bits of butter in pastry usually makes for flakier texture) - she really had nothing to lose but about 7 minutes of her time to "duplicate" the cases with her original pastry.  I am glad she was judged on the spirit of the challenge and that obviously the quality of the filling carried considerable weight.

Count me in on the Mary not enjoying the piney cheese pastries:  normally I'll fight for cheese and pastry combinations but "pine" did give me pause.

Edited July 24, 2016 by DHDancer
corrected grammar

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

No need, no need.  I can earworm you with this, the earworm to end all earworms.  A friend of mine manages bluegrass musical festivals and we were chatting back and forth about this guy, Rushad Eggleston, yesterday.  I was ear-wormed with I Peed on a Bird to the extent that both my husband and I have been signing that at each other from opposite ends of the house all morning.  

Now everyone is going to want to pummel me with piney baked goods :-)  

Well, that took as long as a signature bake, and is just as much fun. It is indeed an earworm. Is the friend in the CBA? Spent some time at their festivals in my day.

Edited July 24, 2016 by Clanstarling

[stillshimpy]

I'll send you a message :-) 

I thought it was hilarious, but even doing the "By Mennen!" trick to try and get that song out of my head has not been working. Instead I just started incorporating it into the song.  I'll be quite mad soon, I feel sure.  

Back to the episode, I found myself wondering why Nadiya didn't hedge her bets and also cut vol-au-vents from her original pastry (I didn't really understand the problem to be honest -- bits of butter in pastry usually makes for flakier texture)

 

I think what happens when the butter forms larger clumps is that the flakes of pastry are disrupt because the butter melts unevenly and it causes the pastry to collapse in on itself rather than puff.  I think it happened because Nadiya put the dough in the freezer and sort of caused it to seize up, rather than chill.  At least that's what it looked like. 

Since her fillings were so good, she'd at least have had something to put in the puff pastry rounds, even if they would have been sort of shapeless and blobby.  

Edited July 24, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Kohola3]

All I can say is thank the supermarket gods that we can get puff pastry a la Pepperidge Farm.  No way I'd ever take that on.

[mlp]

There doesn't seem to be an appropriate thread for this question so I hope it's OK to ask it here.

Why are the bakers required to wear the same clothes on both days?  The show makes it clear that they cook on two days so they're not trying to fool anyone.  Do they think viewers won't recognize people if they wear different clothes?  I don't get it.  

Also, whatever they wear on day 1 can't possibly be clean and fresh the next morning unless they have some way to do laundry or maybe valet service at their hotel.  ???

[AZChristian]

9 minutes ago, mlp said:

There doesn't seem to be an appropriate thread for this question so I hope it's OK to ask it here.

Why are the bakers required to wear the same clothes on both days?  The show makes it clear that they cook on two days so they're not trying to fool anyone.  Do they think viewers won't recognize people if they wear different clothes?  I don't get it.  

Also, whatever they wear on day 1 can't possibly be clean and fresh the next morning unless they have some way to do laundry or maybe valet service at their hotel.  ???

Probably so that all the talking heads portions can be taped individually and spliced in where needed.  So if it was the second day of filming but they needed someone to talk more about what they had made the first day, it wouldn't be obvious that they were interviewed later.

[mlp]

Quote

Probably so that all the talking heads portions can be taped individually and spliced in where needed

Ah.  That makes sense.  Thanks.

[theatremouse]

On 7/23/2016 at 2:14 PM, cardigirl said:

I liked Alvin, and was sad to see him eliminated over someone who didn't finish her showstopper.  I agree that Alvin seemed more stressed the last couple of shows, but feel that had anyone else not finished a challenge, that would have been it for them. 

This has happened a number of times of this show, that well-executed but not assembled stayed over completed-and-bad. 

13 hours ago, adhoc said:

When they showed Paul and Mary discussing who looked to be in trouble halfway through the episode--which I was surprised at, because they usually wait until after the Showstopper to comment on who's in trouble--and Mary said that Alvin would need a miracle to stay, I thought maybe they inserted that earlier than usual because Alvin was in fact going to redeem himself. (After all, why show Mary stating the obvious?) Well played, GBBO.

I don't think they telegraphed much, or bait and switched. At least once before in this season (I want to say twice?) they've done a "who's in danger" check midepisode, before the Showstopper. The other times they named more people "in danger" than this, so his elimination was not at all shocking to me. They basically said he needed to be amazing in the Showstopper to have any chance of staying. The impression I got was they thought his Showstopper was not exactly spectacular. So once we saw them taste his, there was pretty much no question he was toast.

[snarktini]

15 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I don't think they telegraphed much, or bait and switched. At least once before in this season (I want to say twice?) they've done a "who's in danger" check midepisode, before the Showstopper. The other times they named more people "in danger" than this, so his elimination was not at all shocking to me. They basically said he needed to be amazing in the Showstopper to have any chance of staying. The impression I got was they thought his Showstopper was not exactly spectacular. So once we saw them taste his, there was pretty much no question he was toast.

Yes, they've done the this early check-in a number of times in this and prior seasons. I find the judging quite transparent -- while I don't always know the outcome, I'm never surprised by it. ("Miracle" is a tremendous thing to need. Mary is precise in her language, that said a lot.) Alvin was lovely, he'll be missed.

[dubbel zout]

13 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

All I can say is thank the supermarket gods that we can get puff pastry a la Pepperidge Farm.  No way I'd ever take that on.

Laminated dough isn't that hard to make, but there's a lot of waiting for it to chill so you can make the next turn. I bake a lot (nothing too complicated) and always wanted to make puff pastry once as an exercise, but I haven't gotten around to it. One of these days...

[DHDancer]

Re making puff pastry -- IMO.   Do it once just for the satisfaction, then continue buying the commercial product!  It's a far superior (and much cheaper), especially with butter prices as they are. :)

I've done lots of the technically difficult things: croissants, danish pastries just to challenge myself, and then sourced good commercial products instead if and when I want those particular items.  Hell, unless I'm making something where the mayo will be the star ingredient, I rely on good old Best Foods/Hellemans. :)

[meep.meep]

From the "story":

"Tamal is my forever love because his pulled pork vol-au-vent is inspired by one of the "top two" sandwiches he's ever had. "I think about that sandwich quit a lot," he says"

You've got a lot of competition - get in the Tamal true love line.  I thought I was the only one who obsessed about the best sandwiches I've ever eaten.

One thing featured a lot in the episode was Paul and Mary disagreeing in front of the bakers.  At one point, both of the hosts and Mary were giving him grief about one of his blanket statements.  But I loved:

Mat - I've decided to base my frangipani tart on a pina colada.

Paul - Of course you have.

[Rinaldo]

48 minutes ago, DHDancer said:

Re making puff pastry -- IMO.   Do it once just for the satisfaction, then continue buying the commercial product!

Well said. Although the simpler way to make puff pastry (what they call "rough puff"; Julia Child gave a thorough recipe under another name in J.C. & Company) takes less time and fussing, and the results have pretty much equal puff and crispness. They just don't have the visibly laminated layers.

[Kohola3]

Which begs the question - what the heck IS lamination?  All I can think of is the plastic coating on a name badge.

[dleighg]

19 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Which begs the question - what the heck IS lamination?  All I can think of is the plastic coating on a name badge.

It more or less just means "layers". 

[Muffyn]

22 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I would bet dollars to donuts that you are correct especially having seen the faces of the contestants smelling the ingredients.  One of those things Cypriots probably grew up with and are used to.  Mary is normally quite adventurous so these must be especially vile.

I imagine Mary tasting it, making a face, then saying very carefully, "That is <pause> unpleasant."  Follow that with a smile and her requisite eye twinkle. 

21 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

All true. However, not even on the Masterclass did they show us the Schichttorte (the 20-layer alternating-colors grilled cake). It was a tacit admission that, much as the bakers had said afterward, "Nobody is ever going to make this if they're not being ordered to."

Weirdly I saw that and thought, "I really need to make this."  I found it fascinating.  I would hate to make it in competition, however.  That is one high stress, can't rush it, recipe.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, DHDancer said:

I've done lots of the technically difficult things: croissants, danish pastries just to challenge myself, and then sourced good commercial products instead if and when I want those particular items.  Hell, unless I'm making something where the mayo will be the star ingredient, I rely on good old Best Foods/Hellemans. :)

Making mayo is on my "one of these days" list. Is it really that different than Best Foods (my favorite brand)?

[meep.meep]

No, it's similar.  It is also very easy, if you have a food processor.  But it makes a lot, and it's convenient to have that jar of Best Foods to dip into for a tablespoon.

[dleighg]

30 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

No, it's similar.  It is also very easy, if you have a food processor.  But it makes a lot, and it's convenient to have that jar of Best Foods to dip into for a tablespoon.

I did it for the first time, using the food processor. Then had to google how to "fix it" by whisking it by hand :) Which I did, successfully.

It is good; not certain that I think it's worth the trouble. I don't like to use more than a tablespoon or two in any case.

[Rinaldo]

That's the thing; it's really super-easy in a food processor, about the easiest sauce in the book. But I never need that much at one time, and I'd rather just have the jar in the fridge (for that matter, I often don't get to the end of the jar before I feel obliged to toss what's left).

[dubbel zout]

A blender works, too. The secret is to add the oil v-e-r-y slowly.

[stillshimpy]

An immersion blender or a high-speed blender works really well too :-)  I just use the vitamix, it's nice because you can make smaller amounts.  

Quote

Making mayo is on my "one of these days" list. Is it really that different than Best Foods (my favorite brand)?

It is different, it's creamier.  It has a slightly different taste to it, but that mostly means it has more taste to it.  Not over whelming, but fun.  There's a brand to try beforehand to see if you'd actually like it:   Sir Kengsington has a mayonnaise that's a lot like homemade.  Not everyone cares for homemade mayo.  If you go for the Sir Kensignton stuff, make sure you get their mayo, vs. their new, Vegan product Fabainaise (made from aquafaba)  I've made aquafaba mayo at home and it's fine, it's actually pretty good in the homemade version, but the canned stuff was not actually a very pleasant experience.   Just Mayo is pretty good out of the Vegan mayo.   

 

Here's one of the instructional videos for vitamix.  You can use vinegar instead of lemon juice, if you like and  a much more neutral tasting oil, if you prefer, avocado, etc.   Some people use dried mustard instead of prepared mustard too.  If you look around on Youtube there are dozens of videos on it and it really is different than Hellmans/Best foods, but since it does have a bit more flavor, not everyone likes it. 

Edited July 26, 2016 by stillshimpy

[DHDancer]

Re mayo -- this recipe works fabulously and uses an immersion blender/wand.  Saves dragging out the blender/food processor especially for small quantities  (do read the comments for extra insight into avoiding issues)

http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/speedy-mayo/440/

(BTW, check out the rest of the website.  Annabel is a NZ cook and has some truly nice recipes: simple, flavorful etc.  Her TV show aired recently here in the Pacific NW on OPB)

Do we need a separate thread for all these tips and hints?

[stillshimpy]

I love my immersion blender, but the reason I don't like it for making mayo is that the oil still needs to be drizzled in, so I end up needing three hands.  One to keep the immersion blender going, another to hold the base/cup/jar still and another to slowly drip oil in.  I usually stick my husband with the "Hold this still
 duty.  Everyone favors different things for different reasons, my vitamix sees daily use, so it's always out on the countertop.   My brother makes the damned stuff by hand, which is a level of whisking commitment I just don't even want to achieve.  

One weird thing about Pepperidge Farm puff pastry....it's vegan. &nbsp;I'm not kidding. &nbsp;  Only worth mentioning because they stuff they are making on the show will have a different taste to it.  There are a couple of frozen puff pastries available with butter though (Whole Foods sells one brand).  

 I will now delight myself for several minutes, imagining the look of utter horror on Paul's face and a look of deep, deep skepticism on Mary's over the concept of puff pastry made with vegetable shortening.  Mwhwhahahaha.  

[DHDancer]

2 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

 but the reason I don't like it for making mayo is that the oil still needs to be drizzled in, so I end up needing three hands.  

That's the beauty of Annabel's recipe -- you put everything into a jar (in her specific order) then blitz.  No fuss, no muss, no need to be an octopus!

[DHDancer]

9 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

One weird thing about Pepperidge Farm puff pastry....it's vegan. &nbsp;I'm not kidding. &nbsp;  Only worth mentioning because they stuff they are making on the show will have a different taste to it.  There are a couple of frozen puff pastries available with butter though (Whole Foods sells one brand).  

 I will now delight myself for several minutes, imagining the look of utter horror on Paul's face and a look of deep, deep skepticism on Mary's over the concept of puff pastry made with vegetable shortening.  Mwhwhahahaha.  

No surprise here:  commercial products out of Mega Food are rarely made with "quality" ingredients.  I turn a blind eye for the sake of the convenience and make sure the fillings are super tasty.

Trader Joe's carries excellent pre-made butter puff pastry and at a fraction of the cost of Whole Foods.  Assumes of course you have TJs in your area :)

Edited July 26, 2016 by DHDancer
clarification

[proserpina65]

Yay!  Tv Boyfriend Mat won! 

I have to say, I wouldn't have wanted to try a lot of those vol-au-vents.  Too many fishy flavors (nb: I hate seafood) or potentially hot spices.  But Mat's breakfast ones, Flora's chocolate ones, Tamal's pulled pork ones, and both of Nadiya's sounded tasty.  And I would've loved to try Paul's tart.

On ‎09‎/‎09‎/‎2015 at 7:23 PM, Occasional Hope said:

I shall never eat a flaouna; the flavours sound disgusting.

I actually thought it sounded good.  I'll eat your share. ;-)

Edited July 26, 2016 by proserpina65
I spelled my tv boyfriend's name wrong :-(

[dubbel zout]

Come share the Unpopular Flavors Table with me, proserpina65. There's plenty of room and lots of liquor!

[proserpina65]

20 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Come share the Unpopular Flavors Table with me, proserpina65. There's plenty of room and lots of liquor!

You had me at 'liquor'.

[Jesse]

On 7/24/2016 at 0:21 PM, stillshimpy said:

By the way, I sort of got the feeling Mary shared my (lack of) enthusiasm for the concept of a flauna:  while they were being judged instead of saying her usual round of "that's absolutely scrumptious" "lovely flavor" etc.  she would say, "That tastes like a flauna."  

Perhaps I was projecting, but it occurred to me that I could stick a sneaker in my mouth and accurately judge it as "That tastes like a Ked" but that would still not be a good thing. 

Totally agreed!

And I would have been in the group that thought it sounded gross, except I had a cocktail last weekend whose flavors included pine, and it was kind of great. 

[Portia]

As sweet as he was, I was relieved to see Alvin go. He'd been making me a nervous wreck from day one. It sounds like  I'm  not the only one a little worried about his family  dynamic. Wherever he is, I hope he's  not being forced to do hundreds of push-ups right now.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Portia

[Spunkygal]

23 hours ago, Jesse said:

Totally agreed!

And I would have been in the group that thought it sounded gross, except I had a cocktail last weekend whose flavors included pine, and it was kind of great. 

Oooh...that is interesting. Can you give more details about the toddy's ingredients?