S06.E07: Victorian

[Irlandesa]

27 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Some of the British blogs that follow the series seem to be followed largely by vegans, and an amusing number of their comments found Ian's "roadkill pie" the one redeeming feature of the meat pie challenge, as at least that animal was not murdered specifically to be eaten, but was dead already. For them it was all the other pies that were disgusting.

I found myself admiring him for his idea of roadkill pie.  Don't get me wrong, I could never imagine doing it myself and, in fact, I shuddered at the thought initially.  But if there is a way of determining if the roadkill is still good, it makes the roadkill not a waste and it's cheap. 

I'm not a vegetarian but I was more turned off by so much and so many types of meat in such a small area than using roadkill.  (And yes, I hate meatloaf too which is similar.)

The Mat "oven" moment is probably the hardest I've laughed out the show and I'm even more surprised that the technique wasn't far off.  I never would have considered baking icing.

I really appreciate the continuation of transparent judging.  In both of the episodes tonight, it was pretty obvious who was leaving.  They talked bottom two and top two but there was little unnecessary suspense.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Irlandesa

[DHDancer]

44 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

But that is the British usage for those items. They think we Americans are ridiculous for saying "ladyfingers."

Nope, not true sorry to say (lived in UK, learned to bake in UK, am "English" by cultural upbringing) -- Mary said ladyfingers, as did the bakers.  I've never heard anyone use the terms lady's fingers especially a professional baker like Paul H.  Anyway, hardly important in the overall scheme of things I suppose, just one of those distracting irritating things in the program :)

Re baking individual pies, Starri, you're probably right -- we don't always hear the full challenge rules.  I was assuming based on other interpretations we've seen (Nadiya's multiple icecream rolls last week for instance -- she made several vs one big one) that it could have been a possibility.

[Winter Rose]

Aww I'm so sad Mat's out. I think this one was a result more of being completely out of his comfort zone, so whenever this particular theme came up, he was in trouble. But the look between him and Nadiya in the technical challenge when he baked all his elements was priceless. And once again Prison Paul was so sweet for trying to help (and Nadiya for offering) Mat complete his showstopper.

But yay I'm so happy Tamal finally won Star Baker. That was long overdue! I know Paul said Tamal's been knocking on that door but I already thought Tamal should've won it the week that Ian won his third.

Also, eww that Ian picks up roadkill.

[starri]

11 minutes ago, DHDancer said:

Re baking individual pies, Starri, you're probably right -- we don't always hear the full challenge rules.  I was assuming based on other interpretations we've seen (Nadiya's multiple icecream rolls last week for instance -- she made several vs one big one) that it could have been a possibility.

That was the Showstopper, though.  There seem to be the fewest rules on that particular segment, because as long as they hit the requirements (eg, make an ice cream roll using non-dairy ice cream), they can go as big or as small as their skills would take them.  The only real risk with that seems to be if they go too simple they'll be penalized.

[Brookside]

It seems a lot of people loved it, but I thought Ian's crown looked like a lunar landing module.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Brookside

[Mondrianyone]

3 hours ago, DHDancer said:

Bavois: basically a gelatin-thickened mousse.

I think it's bavarois.

[DHDancer]

25 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

I think it's bavarois.

I stand corrected however, it can be spelled either way according to google.... let's just settle on Bavarian cream :)

[Mondrianyone]

I don't see it spelled that way (except one site that got it wrong).  Google doesn't discriminate b/w correct and incorrect, just reproduces the way it finds things.  I love learning about all the bakes and techniques that are new to me by watching the show, so I also love learning the correct names for them.  Although I've made a particular Cold Marbled Bavarian Cream about a bazillion times (and probably gave up at least a decade of life for it), so I'm good calling it that, too.   ;o)

[meep.meep]

4 hours ago, DHDancer said:

Bavois: basically a gelatin-thickened mousse.  

Actually, it's bavarois.

[Spunkygal]

Forumfish, and if you're "lucky," skunk and armadillo! 

[mlp]

Is each episode aired in the UK shortly after filming?  I was thinking about Mat going home after Victorian and not going back the next weekend.  It seems to me his friends and neighbors and the whole London fire department would be able to figure out he'd been eliminated.  The same would be true for any contestant any week and, in these days of social media, someone paying attention would be able to figure out the whole order of eliminations and "spoil" the show if there's a long delay before it's on TV.  Does anyone know how this is handled?

[Athena]

28 minutes ago, mlp said:

Is each episode aired in the UK shortly after filming?  I was thinking about Mat going home after Victorian and not going back the next weekend.  It seems to me his friends and neighbors and the whole London fire department would be able to figure out he'd been eliminated.  The same would be true for any contestant any week and, in these days of social media, someone paying attention would be able to figure out the whole order of eliminations and "spoil" the show if there's a long delay before it's on TV.  Does anyone know how this is handled?

The show is shot and edited ahead of the airing. They shoot April-June and the show airs in August through to October. We've speculated about how the contestants hide the fact they are in GBBO. It's not exactly clear what TPTB tell the contestants, but there is a lot of secrecy. Basically, it seems their partners know, but they are told not to tell anyone else they are on the show until it airs and the results. I think most of the contestants just lie to their friends and extended family about where they are in those weekends. Nancy mentioned that it was not that hard to keep it a secret when she was filming, but once the show aired, then people were asking for spoilers.

This is a mild spoiler about a contestant on this season (won't name who) but they recently said in an interview: 

Spoiler

Their friends thought they were cheating on their spouse because they were away so many weekends.

They have had a couple of information leaks about the contestants in the past, but these were fairly minor. Somehow, they have managed to keep the finale results in the wraps until airing. 

In a recent article about S07 which they have filmed and to air late August, the producers noticed photographers with long range lenses. As a result, everyone on the show (from contestants to the crew) wore the GBBO apron to throw off the tabloids.

[starri]

Is it just partners?  Tamal doesn't seem to have a boyfriend or husband, but he still called his mom to tell her about winning Star Baker.

[Athena]

5 minutes ago, starri said:

Is it just partners?  Tamal doesn't seem to have a boyfriend or husband, but he still called his mom to tell her about winning Star Baker.

I think they are allowed and maybe encouraged to tell a one or two close people in their life. The contestants who have talked about the filming said that there is a lot of secrecy so they don't really disclose to most people in their life.

I only used partners because it's hard to avoid that. If you have a live-in partner or in long term relationship, the show probably doesn't expect you to lie to them about where you during the weekend.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Athena

[mlp]

Thank you, Athena.  Apparently the bakers do a good job of keeping secrets as the winner didn't seem to be generally known in the UK before airing from what I can tell from comments on recaps.

[GaT]

I am not a fan of game meats, so for the first time, this show made me gag. I think the only meat I could have used is duck & maybe pheasant (which I’ve never tasted)

The technical challenge cake didn’t appeal to be all that much either, fruitcake with 2 inches of icing on top seems like it would be nauseatingly sweet. The Charlotte Russes all looked like they were delicious though.

I’m surprised Mat got eliminated, I thought it would be Paul.

[zxy556575]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I found myself admiring him for his idea of roadkill pie. Don't get me wrong, I could never imagine doing it myself and, in fact, I shuddered at the thought initially. But if there is a way of determining if the roadkill is still good, it makes the roadkill not a waste and it's cheap. 

For game meat, I don't see a whole lot of difference in taste between killing a bird or other animal with buckshot and having a dog retrieve it vs a car hitting it. I'll grant Ian the intelligence not to eat any animal he found in the road that had started to rot. Would larger roadkill animals like deer seem as gross?

[eurekagirl mOo]

VIva la difference! As a American who doesn't bake.....well I can throw some eggs and oil into a cake mix but that's bout it.....Why would you ever BAKE icing? I don't get it. Wouldn't it melt? Isn't the idea to keep the icing cool not runny? I am, honestly,confused.

Roadkill? Roadkill? Are you kidding? The only people I know who would eat roadkill live in the mountains and stay off the grid. That's just.......shudders......disgusting.

Not to crazy about the idea of meat pies with jam, jelly, aspic or any other dam thing. Especially cold! Like I said...American....give me a nice filet with a baked potato and THEN we're talking.

[theatremouse]

When he baked the icing, I think his train of thought was that it was sort of like meringue? That's all I've got and it's a half-hearted wild guess. Because royal icing is initially very liquidy, maybe he thought that was how to harden it? Not realizing it absolutely does that on its own.

[dubbel zout]

15 hours ago, Athena said:

I only used partners because it's hard to avoid that. If you have a live-in partner or in long term relationship, the show probably doesn't expect you to lie to them about where you during the weekend.

I was going to say if you were in a relationship, it would be close to impossible not to tell your partner you were on the show. I can't imagine the producers wouldn't allow that.

Depending on what you did for a living, you could always say you were working on a giant project that included weekends for the duration of the filming. It wouldn't exactly be a lie!

The Victorian episode has to be the most British thing ever. Hee.

[Cyranetta]

23 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

I don't see it spelled that way (except one site that got it wrong).  Google doesn't discriminate b/w correct and incorrect, just reproduces the way it finds things.  I love learning about all the bakes and techniques that are new to me by watching the show, so I also love learning the correct names for them.  Although I've made a particular Cold Marbled Bavarian Cream about a bazillion times (and probably gave up at least a decade of life for it), so I'm good calling it that, too.   ;o)

When I saw "bavois" I immmedately thought of "baveux", which I was told one time was a special way to prepare an omelette at the Mont St. Michel restaurants, "bave" meaning the froth from horse's mouth that has been running hard (IIRC), so it was an omelette with insides of a particular consistency.

[Clanstarling]

On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 10:24 AM, stillshimpy said:

Heh.  Yeah, we had to stop the program to freak the hell out for a full minute, at least.  Rewound because we were just positive he couldn't really have said he then started a tradition of making roadkill pie and then were really freaked out over the potential source of the meat for his pies.  Mary and Paul didn't look like they were overly thrilled with that as a method of obtaining meat for pies either, but I'm assuming that was because they knew their pie was faux-roadkill.  

I swear I thought I would come in here and find it wall-to-wall, "He does what?!?" and honestly, I would put it down to being pescetarians, but neither of us tends to be fluttery about meat in general and none of the other pies bothered me at all.  

We stopped and rewound too. We may even have rewound twice, just to absorb what he was saying. We laughed and cringed in equal measure. I'm most definitely a meat eater, and it grossed me out. We were wondering how he evaluates freshness - there's a stage where it's undeniably not fresh, but just when does it go from fresh (yum??) to not so fresh (but maybe edible?) to "nope, it's turned."

The almond marzipan and fondant layers on the fruitcake seemed pointless.  They just fall off, and it didn't seem like Paul or Mary even tried them - just went for the visual on them. I used to make fruitcakes - but they were very different in that they were soaked in booze (brandy, I seem to recall), wrapped in cheesecloth, and were stowed away in the fridge for a month before eating. By then they were moist and delicious. Mary would approve of the alcohol content. I got tired of trying to convince people they weren't the dry, awful things you get in the tins during the holidays, so I stopped wasting my money and effort.

I thought all the pies looked delicious, but never having eaten a raised meat pie, was unprepared (for some odd reason) for the stack of meat on the inside. Once they were cut, they didn't look so appetizing to me. I like meat, but that's a lot of meat.

[paramitch]

Okay, those meat pies were some of the most unappealing things I've ever seen on this show. The only one that looked remotely tasty was Tamal's, which at least looked kind of yummy and gravylike, not like a bunch of offal ground up. Yeesh.

I also thought the tennis fruitcake was a really weird-looking and unappetizing item. It just looked dry and very strange, and like the fondant on top had nothing to do with the fruitcake underneath. Who wants to eat dry cake and a chewy dry-ish supersweet topping?

Although I did think the Charlotte Russes looked really yummy. I'm a sucker for creamy things and some of those looked delicious.

But it was all worth it just to see Nadiya and Mat exchange that horrified stare: "Oven?!" Or to see how worried Warden Paul was over  Flora's pie-baking temperatures:

Flora: I think I'm going to have to cook it at 200.

Paul: 200? <worried look> Really? <worried look>

Flora (later): I think I'm going to have to raise it to 220.

Paul: 220?!

Flora: Yeah.

Paul: <really worried look>

Flora <smiles encouragingly>

I just thought it was really sweet that Paul was so worried.

On 9/18/2015 at 0:47 PM, Athena said:

Funny fact. I've read that Mary frequently gives the contestants tips when they do the rounds. The producers have to move her away and scold her because she's not allowed to help them much.

Aw, this doesn't surprise me at all -- it definitely sounds like Mary.

On 9/22/2015 at 5:14 PM, Danny Franks said:

Perhaps he's holding himself back a little, because there was that flash of mirth on his face when Flora teasingly told him she wasn't going to seed all the pomegranates for him.

I like Paul, and think he's often visibly having a good time on the show. The funniest moment for me was when he kind of snickered at the camera over biscotti during the Biscuits episode this season.

On 7/29/2016 at 8:32 PM, Rinaldo said:

One of my favorite lines on the show ever. So succinct: "Oven?!?"

I loved that moment so much. Nadiya's confusion and palpable horror, Mat's puzzlement. Just so cute.

On 7/30/2016 at 5:40 AM, tvchick said:

I didn't find the tennis cake at all appetizing, and the meat pies weren't much better.  And the icing moment was very funny--according to the expert on the WaPo recap, putting it in an oven which has been turned off is the correct approach.

I loved learning that! So Mat was actually right, he just had the oven set too high.

On 7/30/2016 at 8:55 AM, stillshimpy said:

Yeah, for me, it was the story about picking up literal road kill and making dinner out of it that made me start to slide towards, "Okay, that's just creepy and really ill-advised."   I suddenly understood how such a talented baker might not have won Best Male Baker in his village of 400 houses.   Picking up animals from the side of the road to avoid waste is taking foraging way too fucking far in my book.   Now, full disclosure, I don't eat meat other than fish, so it wasn't like I was grooving on those meat pies last night anyway, but that full-on sickened me in a way that had nothing to do with my dietary choices.  

tl:dr:  Oh Barf to roadkill pie, dude. 

Oh, I'm with you! I was so freaking horrified at this. It wasn't improved by Ian saying something like it's a "passion" of his. Or whimsically describing this passion for roadkill as picking up dead animals that have been "bumped." Um, no. No no no no no no.

Seriously? Who thinks this is a good idea? (Somewhere, even Hannibal Lecter is making a face and going, "Duuude.") I just can't imagine that this is safe or sanitary to do. 

On 7/30/2016 at 10:24 AM, stillshimpy said:

Heh.  Yeah, we had to stop the program to freak the hell out for a full minute, at least.  Rewound because we were just positive he couldn't really have said he then started a tradition of making roadkill pie and then were really freaked out over the potential source of the meat for his pies. Mary and Paul didn't look like they were overly thrilled with that as a method of obtaining meat for pies either, but I'm assuming that was because they knew their pie was faux-roadkill.  

I was freaking out too. I was flat-out yelling at the television at that point (and definitely no longer rooting for Ian)!

[starri]

35 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

The almond marzipan and fondant layers on the fruitcake seemed pointless.  They just fall off, and it didn't seem like Paul or Mary even tried them - just went for the visual on them.

Since it was a recipe from an antique cookbook of Mary's, I would assume it was included originally merely to be decorative.  The whole Victorian version of Keeping Up With The Jones'.

[Ceindreadh]

31 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

 

The almond marzipan and fondant layers on the fruitcake seemed pointless.  They just fall off, and it didn't seem like Paul or Mary even tried them - just went for the visual on them. I used to make fruitcakes - but they were very different in that they were soaked in booze (brandy, I seem to recall), wrapped in cheesecloth, and were stowed away in the fridge for a month before eating. By then they were moist and delicious. Mary would approve of the alcohol content. I got tired of trying to convince people they weren't the dry, awful things you get in the tins during the holidays, so I stopped wasting my money and effort.

 

Usually when I'm making a fruit cake for Christmas, I use heated jam to make the marzipan stick to the top.  I'm surprised that nobody tried that - although I suppose it was the visual the judges were looking for. 

Best way I've found to get a non-dry fruit cake is to soak the fruit overnight in whiskey and then 'feed' the completed cake more whiskey in the interval between baking and covering with marzipan.  (I'm not usually organized enough to start the process more than a few weeks before Christmas, but I haven't had any complaints yet!)

[DHDancer]

I don't know why everyone thinks fruitcake is dry... why would you assume that?  None of the cakes I saw on this program were dry (and none of the judges made that comment either). And yeah, the icing on top was just for novelty -- very typical for Victorians.

My favorite fruitcake recipes btw are boiled fruit cakes where the fruit, sugar, spices, butter, water, and yep booze are heated together till everything is just to the boiling point, then cooled to room temp before adding the eggs and flour, then baking.  A light dose of booze as the cake cools also helps :)  

[Christina]

When someone hears the phrase "road kill" it brings an image to mind of Honey Boo Boo's mom on the road with a shovel scooping up an animal that has been ran over. In reality, it is when someone hits a deer, breaking it's leg and the police come out to "dispatch" it. All the meat is good except for the leg. There are two meat processors here in Hillbillyville that will pick up a certain amount per year, butcher them for free, and that meat goes to local soup kitchens and food banks. If you hit it, I think you get first option to take it yourself, but I'm not positive. If it is hit on the interstate by a semi, that meat goes to the people who get on a list to go get them, and most of the time, it is individuals who own lions and tigers, which is allowed here in Ohio. Those deer are no longer fit for human consumption but the wild animals are okay with it. The goal is to not waste food if it can be helped.

For the birds, it happens several times a year that a bird, usually wild turkeys in these parts, fly into cars breaking their necks. If the sun hits the car right, the light blinds the birds for a second and they hit the cars, breaking their necks. If it is a bird that you can hunt, you can call the Fish and Game Wardens and get permission to take it, too. The wild turkeys are a menace who, during mating season, will attack animals and cars. They run with their necks out and lose when the car clips them, breaking their necks. I once saw a wild turkey pick a fight with a mule and lose. They are holy terrors during mating season, and Stephen King probably based his book on them.

It wouldn't be too hard to tell if the meat was bad. I don't think it would take too long to start to break down in the heat, and would last longer in the cold weather. Anyone who hunts or works on a farm would be able to tell fairly easily. I buy my food already butchered in the store, because I'm way to lazy to de-feather any bird that I don't have too; that's a lot of work. 

[theatremouse]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

The almond marzipan and fondant layers on the fruitcake seemed pointless.  They just fall off, and it didn't seem like Paul or Mary even tried them - just went for the visual on them.

The point of those layers was mostly about the precision of the decoration. I can't remember, did they make the marzipan from scratch? If so, then probably should've been tasted but if not, then it's only the look that matters. Fondant at best tastes like nothing. It's a product entirely meant to be judged on how it looks.

I don't like fruitcake but this totally made me want to make a tennis cake with some other base, maybe pound cake. Be fun for a Wimbledon party next summer.

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

Usually when I'm making a fruit cake for Christmas, I use heated jam to make the marzipan stick to the top.  I'm surprised that nobody tried that

On a Technical, it would have been a demerit to introduce ingredients that hadn't been provided -- impossible actually, now that I think about it. They have only the ingredients and tools provided under the Tablecloth of Secrecy.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I was going to say if you were in a relationship, it would be close to impossible not to tell your partner you were on the show. I can't imagine the producers wouldn't allow that.

Depending on what you did for a living, you could always say you were working on a giant project that included weekends for the duration of the filming. It wouldn't exactly be a lie!

Not only would the weekends away be tough to hide from a partner but I'd imagine all of the practice during the week would start to look a little suspicious.  "Another meat pie?  We do have leftovers from last night."  Or "Honey, what's the obsession with choux pastry?" 

[Tara Ariano]

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

The Great British Bake Off Serves Up (Ahem) Victorian-Era Meals

Tennis cakes! Game pies! Why, you'll feel like Charles Dickens at a dining hall!

[jpgr]

22 hours ago, GaT said:

The technical challenge cake didn’t appeal to be all that much either, fruitcake with 2 inches of icing on top seems like it would be nauseatingly sweet. The Charlotte Russes all looked like they were delicious though.

Yeah, that bothered me, too. They didn't taste any of those top layers, either, so they were just to show technical prowess but seemed wasteful.

I don't dislike Ian but the other thing that bugged me this episode was that they asked for an elaborately decorated meat pie, and his was so simple. He's shown that he has the skills, so I was wondering if he thought somehow that he was good enough to ignore that part of the brief.

[Rinaldo]

I think the simpler explanation (it's happened to other bakers in the past) is that he had his scheme worked out in advance, thinking it fit the brief of "elaboration," and then noticed once they began, when it was pretty much too late to think up something new, that everyone else was doing way more. If he's used to a minimalistic presentation for something like this, even a representation of a bird may seem "enough decoration" to him.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Rinaldo

[Kohola3]

On 7/29/2016 at 11:49 PM, mlp said:

Flora always wears what appears to be engagement and wedding rings but on her middle finger.  I know she's only 19 and lives at home so I'd like to know the story about them.  I wonder if she inherited them from a grandparent or something.

I have been wondering the same thing.  At first I thought she was a young married girl but then I saw they were on the wrong finger for that.

[Quilt Fairy]

14 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

I think the simpler explanation (it's happened to other bakers in the past) is that he had his scheme worked out in advance, thinking it fit the brief of "elaboration," and then noticed once they began, when it was pretty much too late to think up something new, that everyone else was doing way more. If he's used to a minimalistic presentation for something like this, even a representation of a bird may seem "enough decoration" to him.

I think you're giving Ian too much wiggle room. This is a guy who made a crown for his charlotte russe. This is a guy who was thrilled to have a Victorian challenge. Minimalist is not his style. His bird was whimsical, but certainly did not fit the brief of "elaborately decorated".  I can't know for sure what he was thinking (maybe it came up in interviews after the fact), but I believe that the 3 star baker wins in the beginning have gone to his head and he thinks he can do whatever he wants.

[snarktini]

1 minute ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I can't know for sure what he was thinking (maybe it came up in interviews after the fact), but I believe that the 3 star baker wins in the beginning have gone to his head and he thinks he can do whatever he wants.

That's really harsh. I do not for a second think he believes he's so above the competition the rules don't apply -- that's an arrogance I simply don't see in Ian or anyone else in the tent. Not to mention it seems unlikely he would risk the competition by deliberately ignoring rules. 

He got it wrong and missed the target. Keep in mind they loved his flowers, which had a similar minimal cuteness, and that won a sculptural challenge. To me it's far more logical to believe he thought his bird would therefore also please the judges, or that he just misjudged the task.

[Enigma X]

I think Ian merely thought his bird mold would look more elaborate than it actually did. Heck, I thought it would have. What he imagined in his mind just did not translate into reality. I don't think there was anything more to it than that.

[paramitch]

15 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I think you're giving Ian too much wiggle room. This is a guy who made a crown for his charlotte russe. This is a guy who was thrilled to have a Victorian challenge. Minimalist is not his style. His bird was whimsical, but certainly did not fit the brief of "elaborately decorated".  I can't know for sure what he was thinking (maybe it came up in interviews after the fact), but I believe that the 3 star baker wins in the beginning have gone to his head and he thinks he can do whatever he wants.

I agree that his bird pie (although kind of adorable) wasn't nearly as ornate as the challenge expected, but I really just felt like he missed the mark a bit there.

I would agree that I would expect Ian to do more -- hey, it's a "bird pie," why not do interlaid "feathers" of dough across the top, for instance? But I think in this case he just was so focused on the taste and technical aspects, he thought he was doing enough. It would make sense to me if so. 

And while I did find his delight over roadkill to be a bit excessive (ahem), I don't know if I agree that he's arrogant. I would maybe go with complacent -- he thought he had done enough (when he hadn't).

3 minutes ago, snarktini said:

That's really harsh. I do not for a second think he believes he's so above the competition the rules don't apply -- that's an arrogance I simply don't see in Ian or anyone else in the tent. Not to mention it seems unlikely he would risk the competition by deliberately ignoring rules. 

He got it wrong and missed the target. Keep in mind they loved his flowers, which had a similar minimal cuteness, and that won a sculptural challenge. To me it's far more logical to believe he thought his bird would therefore also please the judges, or that he just misjudged the task.

That's basically where I'm coming from on it at this point. Ian is not one of my favorites, but I do find his dedication and precision oddly touching (I realized upon rewatching this episode that he reminds me very oddly of Eleven on Doctor Who -- not in a hot way, hee -- but in that he seems like a much older man in a middle-aged man's body. There is something very odd and brittle about him).

As far as Ian's showstopper, my main problem was that the crown was such a totally different texture and doneness that to me it made it look more amateurish than no-crown.

Meanwhile, I forgot to mention it earlier, but I loved Warden Paul's exquisitely carved fruit for his showstopper (Sue: "So when did you first get into carving fruit?!" Paul: "In one day."), and also adored Nadiya and Paul helping Mat with his semi-disaster when he tried to move his showstopper to the presentation plate. Nadiya's simple, sympathetic "Do you need more hands?" is everything I love about this show.

And of course the cut to Mat yelling, "Taxi!" was brilliant, as was his simple, accepting grin and nod when he was genteelly Asked to Leave. (Mat: "Yeah, I'll get back into baking, I'm gonna have to now; people will want loads of cakes and stuff... <pause> I'll have to start charging now, I expect.")

I love this show. Everyone is so humble, quiet and kind. They measure themselves against themselves and what they know they are capable of on their best days. I just love that.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Not only would the weekends away be tough to hide from a partner but I'd imagine all of the practice during the week would start to look a little suspicious.  "Another meat pie?  We do have leftovers from last night."  Or "Honey, what's the obsession with choux pastry?" 

Seriously, you think it would also call attention to family and friends or local shelters! What do they do with all the practice dishes! 

Which does make me wonder to they get a practice allowance for ingredients because otherwise this might be quite expensive for contestants to participate.

[Rick Kitchen]

"They had really good frogs."  Huh?

Flora's "bird girl" story was cute.

Of course Ian's mold was home made.  I wonder if he went out in his car and ran down animals on purpose.

All of those game pies looked really well made, though I don't think I would like the meats they had used.  I'm not into game.

I wonder if a curry pie would have been acceptable.

Tamal's macarons looked more grey than purple.

Paul was only using 1 1/2 gelatin sheets and Tamal was using something like 6 or 7.

Hooray for Tamal, well deserved.  His russe looked amazing.

[stillshimpy]

Quote

We stopped and rewound too. We may even have rewound twice, just to absorb what he was saying. We laughed and cringed in equal measure. I'm most definitely a meat eater, and it grossed me out. We were wondering how he evaluates freshness - there's a stage where it's undeniably not fresh, but just when does it go from fresh (yum??) to not so fresh (but maybe edible?) to "nope, it's turned."

 

 

Oh good, it wasn't just us.  I think what also influencing me is that in at least two states I've lived in, it's actually illegal to do that.  Pick up roadkill for the purposes of consuming it (barf).  In absolute fairness though, both had a lot of rural areas, where it was incredibly common for animals to be hit on the road and they probably had to pass the law to keep people with little sense from eating things that were well past their sell-by-date, you know?  However, one thing I did think of is that if Ian lives in the country, he's likely had wild  rabbit/hare before and they are usually snared, vs. shot.   So rabbit or hare is usually something being picked up after it has already expired.  Still? Freaking ew, man, just ew.  

I really didn't like that as an idea, which is so clear that it is probably visible from space for aliens to see, but truly whereas I don't think Ian was pleased that someone else won Star Baker, I didn't see it as an issue of arrogance or thinking himself above the rules.  I think he was just visibly a little irked, simply because he does think of it as his area of speciality.  It had to sting a little.   I'm not sure how I feel about the guy, he rounded a corner from eccentric to creepy with that roadkill thing for me, but it isn't creepy in all areas, just that one that is really freaking me out.   Since it came in the same episode where he had a slightly pained look when Mat won, it just didn't marry well for me.  However, I don't think it is indicative of being a royal jerk or anything.  More than anything I think he was disappointed. 

Besides, it's a bit like the Oscars, you know?   It's not necessarily that you think the person who won didn't deserve it, it's more that "Shit, disappointed.  Disappointed with a camera directly on my face, to add to the 'try not to flinch, just look pleased....look pleased...." and the dude's face just showed the strain.  

I don't want him to make me a pie anytime soon but I think he just winced ever so slightly.  

Edited August 1, 2016 by stillshimpy

[AZChristian]

As soon as we heard Ian say that he uses roadkill for pies, hubby and I looked at each other and said, "The Worst Pies in London" from the musical "Sweeney Todd."  You haven't lived until you've seen/heard Helena Bonham Carter sing that song.  LOL.

Is that just, disgusting? You have to concede it
It's nothing but crusting, here drink this, you'll need it
The worst pies in London
And no wonder with the price of meat

What it is when you get it
Never thought I'd live to see the day
Men'd think it was a treat, finding poor animals
What are dying in the street

Mrs. Mooney has a pie shop
Does a business, but I notice something weird
Lately all her neighbors cats have disappeared
Have to hand it to her, what I calls enterprise
Popping pussies into pies

 

[eurekagirl mOo]

17 hours ago, Cyranetta said:

When I saw "bavois" I immmedately thought of "baveux", which I was told one time was a special way to prepare an omelette at the Mont St. Michel restaurants, "bave" meaning the froth from horse's mouth that has been running hard (IIRC), so it was an omelette with insides of a particular consistency.

Well doesn't that sound yummy! "How would you like your eggs today?" "Oh froth from a horses mouth that has been running hard would be good"

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

As soon as we heard Ian say that he uses roadkill for pies, hubby and I looked at each other and said, "The Worst Pies in London" from the musical "Sweeney Todd."

Well, I'd take Ian's Road Kill Pie over one of Mrs. Lovett's pies any day. haha Honestly, the road kill thing doesn't bother me. I seriously doubt he is scraping rabbit corpses that are sticking to the pavement from being baked in the hot sun for days. He seems perfectly healthy to me so I don't think he's eating rancid meat. But I totally get others being skeeved out by it.

I do think his bird was totally lacking in decoration and agree with someone upthread who said, carve out some little doughy bird feathers to stick all over the top or something.

Tamal wasn't someone I thought of either way in the beginning. He was there, and that was fine. But man, he is fast becoming my favorite. I think he is my favorite right now. He just has these quietly funny moments, he makes interesting things and he seems generally fun and cool. Go Tamal!!!!

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 1:25 AM, lordonia said:

For game meat, I don't see a whole lot of difference in taste between killing a bird or other animal with buckshot and having a dog retrieve it vs a car hitting it. I'll grant Ian the intelligence not to eat any animal he found in the road that had started to rot. Would larger roadkill animals like deer seem as gross?

For me, it's implicit in the term 'road kill' that the animal had been there awhile, which would be gross no matter the animal.  I'm sure Ian is careful about the age of the road kill, but the image it brings up in my mind is hard to get past.

I don't eat much game meat (venison is okay, but wild birds tend to have too much dark meat for my tastes) and I dislike fruit cake, so only the showpiece challenge really appealed to me.  Well, that and Mat baking his icing for the technical challenge.  That was pretty funny.  Goodbye, tv boyfriend Mat - I will miss you.

[Rinaldo]

I'm extrapolating, as I suppose we all do in our various ways, but my mental picture was of Ian driving around his local country roads and lanes near his house in rural Cambridgeshire. Seeing the same roads almost daily, he would know if an animal hadn't been there the day before and was thus a new casualty. I don't see much aesthetic or moral difference between an animal that's been shot/trapped and one that's been struck by a vehicle. I admit I myself wouldn't really want to dine on the latter, but I'm a prissy, overly sheltered city kid; I see a rather admirable "waste not" attitude in it, if someone else chooses to do it.

[Maya]

I have a problem with how Tamal prepares his food on the floor. I also don't like how Flora is always touching her mouth. (You can assume how I feel about eating road kill.)

[meep.meep]

Game birds are traditionally hung for a few days before cooking, so road kill isn't all that different, except that you don't really know why it died and how long it has been there.

The last time I remember them doing savory pies, it was for a show stopper and they had to stack them.  The fillings were not very successful then - I remember Martha's oozing grease.  This time round, everyone pretty much got the fillings cooked correctly.

[starri]

Weird question:  I know how much Paul hates American food, but do they ever make fruit pies?  Tarts, sure, but they're not exactly the same thing.

I'm racking my brain, and I don't know if I can think of an example in either of the seasons that I've watched, but I may very well be having a brain fart.  You could tell me they've done one every week and I would believe you.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Game birds are traditionally hung for a few days before cooking, so road kill isn't all that different, except that you don't really know why it died and how long it has been there.

Those exceptions seem pretty important to me. :) If I recall correctly, the first "road kill" Ian mentioned was hare - which I don't believe improves with age, though I could be wrong about that.