S07.E08: Tudor Week

[Brookside]

Two thirds of a way through.  Wonderful.

[meep.meep]

16 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I thought Andrew's knights looked like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

I can see that, but only if his fly was open and you could see his giant pink penis.

[Sew Sumi]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

I can see that, but only if his fly was open and you could see his giant pink penis.

LOL! Those jousting swords turned out all kind of wrong. 

[Broken Ox]

I wasn't paying attention as closely as I usually do --  please tell me Andrew needed his caramel for more than just that?

[Ms Lark]

On 10/13/2016 at 1:09 AM, dwarmed said:

I loved how uptight and protective Andrew got about his gear contraption. I don't blame him for not wanting Sue's clutz hands to break it. Rotating cog pastries were a wonder of gingineering.

I thought his Da Vinci gear pastries were the real showstopper of the day. Awesome! Although, his real showstopper, not so much! Poor Andrew.

[Florinaldo]

Sad to see Benjamina go. The "each episode can be an elimination and previous ones don't count" is harsh, but them's the rules...

Not the most enthralling week, but Andrew's gearwork of pies was most ingenious, well realised and most importantly it really worked. I can understand him not wanting anyone trying to operate them! Too bad that after that, he showed himself to be as badly skilled at sculpting playdough as I am. Especially since he seemed so well prepared having taken the trouble of making molds from toy horses; if only he had done the same thing for his knights. And then there was the unfortunate placement of the lances; half a centimer above and Paul would not have had an opportunity to make a leering comment.

I thought Candice's peacock was pretentious and excessive; which I suppose is the point of that type of pièce montée. The tail was just marzipan upon marzipan upon marzipan, with other bits of marzipan for good measure. And what were all those cries of surprise about when the center of the cake was revealed to hold... blueberries. Not only did they know it was coming, but they acted as if they never saw that particular fruit before. The judges very much like the showy assemblages, whatever the aesthetics. Based on looks alone, I preferred Jane's or Selasi's concepts, but there is also the tasting to consider.

It's always funny to see what each contestants reads into the sketchy instructions for the technical; for example Andrew is sometimes hampered by his training since he appears to suppose that they were written with an engineer's mindset, which Paul clearly does not have. So thinking the drawings were to scale may have thrown him off a bit, although he did not fare badly.

[Rinaldo]

17 minutes ago, Florinaldo said:

And what were all those cries of surprise about when the center of the cake was revealed to hold... blueberries. Not only did they know it was coming, but they acted as if they never saw that particular fruit before.

The "hidden pattern" cake seems to be a thing unto itself in the UK. Widely admired and considered impressive to achieve. (In past seasons it's sometimes been a challenge all by itself.)

[dubbel zout]

I think the Tudor theme was a bust. The pies were the only thing that remotely interested me. The jumbles were pretty blah, even with the shaping challenge. And I've never understood marzipan as something to be eaten. As a decorative element it can be amazing—my mom had some little marzipan animals she used as holiday decorations, and they were darling—but to deliberately eat marzipan is beyond me. (I fully accept that's my problem.)

Benjamina was the right person to send home, but wow, it hurt to watch.

Edited July 31, 2017 by dubbel zout
spelling

[MisterGlass]

I did get a laugh from the podacst when they shared 'a conversation between Paul and Mary' and cut to "A Little Priest" from Sweeney Todd.

Sorry to see Benjamina go, though she did seem to have an off week. The swan cake was more to my taste than the peacock cake, but the latter was a show stopper.

[Florinaldo]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

The "hidden pattern" cake seems to be a thing unto itself in the UK. Widely admired and considered impressive to achieve.

Interesting info. Thanks. One of the challenges in desserts of this type is of course the choice and amount of fruit. Raspberries or gooseberries can produce a rather soggy result and prevent the cake from cooking properly since they liquify easily; blueberries were a safer and wiser choice.

[adam807]

3 hours ago, MisterGlass said:

I did get a laugh from the podacst when they shared 'a conversation between Paul and Mary' and cut to "A Little Priest" from Sweeney Todd.

Sorry to see Benjamina go, though she did seem to have an off week. The swan cake was more to my taste than the peacock cake, but the latter was a show stopper.

Thank you for being one of the three people that joke was for. Couldn't resist. 

[Nysha]

Candice's peacock was the most ambitious and the most completed of the showstoppers. Everyone else's looked like they would have benefited greatly if the bakers had had another half hour to put on the finishing touches.

I really like everyone left, so it's sad that Benjamina went home even though somebody has to go each week. 

[LAFR]

Could you please either discuss the deleted scenes in the podcast or link to where we can watch them online? PBS.org doesn't have the history lessons and I don't want to spoil myself by going to the BBC website (but that would probably be blocked anyway.) Thank you.

[lh25]

10 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Interesting info. Thanks. One of the challenges in desserts of this type is of course the choice and amount of fruit. Raspberries or gooseberries can produce a rather soggy result and prevent the cake from cooking properly since they liquify easily; blueberries were a safer and wiser choice.

I thought in this case, she added them after the cake was baked?  I remember someone at least cutting a hole in the middle of a finished cake?

[AZChristian]

8 minutes ago, lh25 said:

I thought in this case, she added them after the cake was baked?  I remember someone at least cutting a hole in the middle of a finished cake?

I think that's what she did - cut a big round hold in the top of the "body," put in the blueberries, then continued with decorating the cake.  

[Florinaldo]

2 minutes ago, lh25 said:

I thought in this case, she added them after the cake was baked?  I remember someone at least cutting a hole in the middle of a finished cake?

Yes she did. I was speaking in general terms, for versions where the fruit is baked with the cake and those where it is added afterwards. Even in the latter case, if you pack in too many raspberries the bottom ones may get crushed by the weight and make the cake soggy; as for gooseberries, the other example I gave, because you have to take out both the stem and the tail, the skin is breached and the pulp just oozes out. Blueberries solve the problem for both versions, just as other firm berries or fruit would.

[dubbel zout]

5 hours ago, Nysha said:

I really like everyone left, so it's sad that Benjamina went home even though somebody has to go each week. 

Yeah, when it gets to six or so bakers remaining, it starts to hurt. It also points out how important every bake becomes. You don't have the luxury of botching one.

[dleighg]

why on earth didn't Jane collect enough molds to do all of her pies at once? That just seems to make life really hard for yourself.

[dleighg]

18 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

It's always funny to see what each contestants reads into the sketchy instructions for the technical; for example Andrew is sometimes hampered by his training since he appears to suppose that they were written with an engineer's mindset, which Paul clearly does not have. So thinking the drawings were to scale may have thrown him off a bit, although he did not fare badly.

My husband and I are both engineers, but I'm the cook/chef in the family. My husband would absolutely be measuring the ratio of length to thickness of the drawing and assuming that was to scale. I, on the other hand, would not make that assumption! I can just see my husband complaining "why wasn't it drawn the way it was supposed to be done?????"

[adam807]

22 hours ago, LAFR said:

Could you please either discuss the deleted scenes in the podcast or link to where we can watch them online? PBS.org doesn't have the history lessons and I don't want to spoil myself by going to the BBC website (but that would probably be blocked anyway.) Thank you.
 

Honestly, since the podcast isn't meant to be a straight recap, we discuss them when we're interested and don't when we're not. Usually we're not! But I appreciate that your mileage may vary. We recorded this one a couple of weeks ago and tbh I don't remember what the history lesson was. Anyone know if the episodes are uncut on PBS.org?

[starri]

If it's like the PBS streaming app, they are not.

[Clanstarling]

On 10/12/2016 at 4:50 PM, tenativelyyours said:

I find Andrew a bit more remote in some ways as a viewer but I also greatly appreciate his effort and think he is more than deserving to stay. 

Andrew is the darling of our house. We don't find him remote at all - but as with everything, mileage varies.

On 10/12/2016 at 8:59 PM, Badger said:

Does Andrew remind anyone else of Clay Aiken? 

Perish the thought. 

On 10/12/2016 at 10:09 PM, dwarmed said:

Only in that he's a ginger nerd, but Andrew is not nearly as hammy and cringe-worthy as Clay. Andrew is a proper nerd, not a nerd trying to be a sex symbol. I loved how uptight and protective Andrew got about his gear contraption. I don't blame him for not wanting Sue's clutz hands to break it. Rotating cog pastries were a wonder of gingineering.

Gingineering - Love It!

On 7/28/2017 at 7:06 PM, LittleIggy said:

The look Paul gave Andrew when he saw those knights' equipment cracked me up. Looked more like the knights were having a pissing contest instead of a joust. ;-)

We laughed so much we had to pause the show until we could control ourselves.

On 7/28/2017 at 11:41 PM, mlp said:

I don't care for Candice and her constantly pulling faces but I have to admit that she deserved star baker this week.  Her peacock was one of the few creations this season that have approached the skill and creativity of previous contestants.

I know the faces bother people, and I understand. I've mimicked the expressions, and I must say that when you can't see them (ie you're the one making them) they don't seem all that strange. They seem like expressions I would make. Then again, who knows how many people are bothered by my face? LOL

On 7/29/2017 at 7:35 AM, J-Man said:

If Andrew went to the trouble of making a mold for his horses, why couldn't he have done the same for his knights? The horses were picture-perfect, and the knights were a mess. The incongruity between the two figures was disconcerting.

I know, that was a real shame. 

On 7/29/2017 at 11:08 AM, meep.meep said:

I grew up in Germany and all the sweet shops are full of these.  Incredible modeling and coloring.  I hate the taste of marzipan so it was more a visual treat for me.

I don't care for marzipan on it's own, but in a Mozart Kugel (wrapped in many layers of different kinds of chocolate) it's a treat.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

Two Spotted Dicks: The Bakers Really Grind Our Gears On Tudor Week

The challenges are historical, but the bakers are still up on their currant events.

[LAFR]

  On 7/31/2017 at 9:24 AM, LAFR said:

Could you please either discuss the deleted scenes in the podcast or link to where we can watch them online? PBS.org doesn't have the history lessons and I don't want to spoil myself by going to the BBC website (but that would probably be blocked anyway.) Thank you.
 

Honestly, since the podcast isn't meant to be a straight recap, we discuss them when we're interested and don't when we're not. Usually we're not! But I appreciate that your mileage may vary. We recorded this one a couple of weeks ago and tbh I don't remember what the history lesson was. Anyone know if the episodes are uncut on PBS.org?

Thanks for your reply. I am enjoying the podcast.

[mjc570]

Much as I like Andrew and admire the gears, I think it was a bit gimmicky.  I understand about the importance of presentation - showstoppers, after all - but I think it's just taking too much focus away from the bakes themselves.  My favorite moment was the guinea fowl/wild and livid remark. 

[theatremouse]

I think I must've fallen asleep during this episode and not realized it because while I absolutely recall everything through the technical, and the outcome, and most of the designs during the showstopper, I have absolutely zero memory of Andrew's design, even looking at a photo of it above. To the extent that for a moment I thought I was in the wrong episode topic and was reading about one I hadn't seen. That or he didn't actually get a ton of airtime working on it? I'm so confused right now. 

[dleighg]

26 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

That or he didn't actually get a ton of airtime working on it? I'm so confused right now. 

you're talking about the gears? They gave it a "typical" amount of time. They showed him forming the gears-- there just wasn't a lot to show. I agree with someone upthread that he really didn't "do" a lot. Only one flavor, one shape-- the gears were the big "thrill." I think it's better to put more effort into the food.

[adam807]

7 hours ago, LAFR said:

Thanks for your reply. I am enjoying the podcast.

Aw, thanks. I wasn't fishing. :) We can try to include these segments more if we do another season.

 

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

you're talking about the gears? They gave it a "typical" amount of time. They showed him forming the gears-- there just wasn't a lot to show. I agree with someone upthread that he really didn't "do" a lot. Only one flavor, one shape-- the gears were the big "thrill." I think it's better to put more effort into the food.

I think Andrew's molds did most of the work of making the gears. And the stand, which he arrived with. Not that they weren't impressive, but yeah there wasn't much process to see.

 

I don't think Candice is "pulling faces," as many on here keep saying, I think that's just her face.

[Kohola3]

I will miss Benjamina.  I thought she was a lovely person.  I think Selasi will as well;  they seemed to have a nice relationship.

[dubbel zout]

Selasi said as much. He really enjoyed their sibling vibe. We all did, Selasi!

[flaviafan]

Hello All....  I am mostly a lurker here on the boards, but does anyone else here think that Candice looks like Natalie Dormer???  She played Anne Boleyn on "The Tudors" and I believe she also had a part in "Game of Throrns"...

[EyewatchTV211]

On 7/30/2017 at 8:29 PM, Florinaldo said:

I thought Candice's peacock was pretentious and excessive; which I suppose is the point of that type of pièce montée. The tail was just marzipan upon marzipan upon marzipan, with other bits of marzipan for good measure. And what were all those cries of surprise about when the center of the cake was revealed to hold... blueberries. Not only did they know it was coming, but they acted as if they never saw that particular fruit before. The judges very much like the showy assemblages, whatever the aesthetics. Based on looks alone, I preferred Jane's or Selasi's concepts, but there is also the tasting to consider.

I actually had a similar thought. While she did a lot of work for the peacock overall and showed a lot of good skills, I thought she did the least with the actual marzipan. She just had to cut out that same shape with the cookie cutter thing she had a million times and layer them on. So I wasn't as impressed as I might have been, although I agree that the final effect was more of a showstopper than the others. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 3:32 AM, Amarsir said:

Here they are for easy comparison:
 

  Hide contents

 

 

I assume chocolate is a bit harder to work with than marzipan, and while ideas do occur to multiple people you probably should assume that everyone is familiar with the prior year's winner and avoid that comparison. But I don't know if I'd say Candice's peacock really suffers in comparison. They're both pretty impressive given their respective challenges.

Plus, peacock was a big thing in Tudor banquets, so it fit the period perfectly.  Heck, there's one on display in the Tudor kitchens at Hampton Court Palace.

[proserpina65]

2 hours ago, flaviafan said:

Hello All....  I am mostly a lurker here on the boards, but does anyone else here think that Candice looks like Natalie Dormer???  She played Anne Boleyn on "The Tudors" and I believe she also had a part in "Game of Throrns"...

Yeah, I noticed that the first week.  And, because Candice's lip-pursing habit has been commented on, maybe she's a smoker?  Some smokers I know do that without even realizing it.

[susannot]

On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 9:03 PM, dubbel zout said:

I think the Tudor theme was a bust. The pies were the only thing that remotely interested me. The jumbles were pretty blah, even with the shaping challenge. And I've never understood marzipan as something to be eaten. As a decorative element it can be amazing—my mom had some little marzipan animals she used as holiday decorations, and they were darling—but to deliberately eat marzipan is beyond me. (I fully accept that's my problem.)

Benjamina was the right person to send home, but wow, it hurt to watch.

Agree with this.  We are down to the final 4 but the bakers just don't seem as spectacularly talented this season.   I like all of them, but there has never been a moment when I exclaimed "Wow, Nadiya is insanely talented!"

[call me ishmael]

On 10/14/2016 at 0:32 AM, Amarsir said:

Here they are for easy comparison:
 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I assume chocolate is a bit harder to work with than marzipan, and while ideas do occur to multiple people you probably should assume that everyone is familiar with the prior year's winner and avoid that comparison. But I don't know if I'd say Candice's peacock really suffers in comparison. They're both pretty impressive given their respective challenges.

Personally i thought Candice's was better and i really liked Nadiya's.  But i thought that Candice's colors were much more impressive and she was able to do the two different types of marzipan which i think threw Selasi off.  I was actually surprised at the judging that they were acting as if Andrew had a chance at star baker since not only was Candice's the best show stopper but she had win the technical.  I know they need to pretend but...

Add me to the people shocked that Benjamina was sent home.  I thought she was going to win the whole thing.  But they seem to take seriously the week to week aspect of it.  Selasi has been on the edge so many times that a lot of shows would have sent him home since Benjamina has been on top.

i don't get why people dislike Jane either.  But i don't get why people get upset at Candice's facial expressions when she is stressed.

[Florinaldo]

On 2017-08-02 at 11:38 AM, VMepicgrl said:

I actually had a similar thought. While she did a lot of work for the peacock overall and showed a lot of good skills, I thought she did the least with the actual marzipan. She just had to cut out that same shape with the cookie cutter thing she had a million times and layer them on. So I wasn't as impressed as I might have been, although I agree that the final effect was more of a showstopper than the others. 

I think I did not make clear enough that I thought also that Candice's peacock was spectacular...ly unaesthetic. I did not find it pleasant to look at, either in shape or in the messy choice of colours.

 

On 2017-08-01 at 10:19 PM, adam807 said:

I think Andrew's molds did most of the work of making the gears. And the stand, which he arrived with. Not that they weren't impressive, but yeah there wasn't much process to see.

Obviously, the moulds were a crucial factor in the success of the piece. Which is where the baker's intelligence made a difference in the choice or configuration of the vessels to cook the pies in.

Andrew's gears were not only ingenious and original, but they actually worked and the cogs did not break when the whole works turned, something that could easily happen with cooked dough, which in this case had to be both flaky to be edible, but also sturdy enough not to break in the turning (as we know, it sometimes does not take much pressure for dough to crumble). 

 

On 2017-07-31 at 2:31 PM, dleighg said:

My husband and I are both engineers, but I'm the cook/chef in the family. My husband would absolutely be measuring the ratio of length to thickness of the drawing and assuming that was to scale. I, on the other hand, would not make that assumption! I can just see my husband complaining "why wasn't it drawn the way it was supposed to be done?????"

As a physics graduate, I have had reactions similar to your husband's but I have learned not to expect certain things from non-technical texts, even those from professional cooks.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Florinaldo

[adam807]

1 hour ago, Florinaldo said:

Obviously, the moulds were a crucial factor in the success of the piece. Which is where the baker's intelligence made a difference in the choice or configuration of the vessels to cook the pies in.

Totally. I just meant that from a TV standpoint there wasn't much to SEE in terms of process, since he'd made the molds at home. The actual process of making the the pies wasn't that different from anyone else's, and they're not going to just show an oven door for 5 minutes. Not to take away from his accomplishment, which was something indeed! 

[Mabinogia]

10 hours ago, adam807 said:

and they're not going to just show an oven door for 5 minutes.

Thankfully no, but I do love when they show a montage of them all staring at their oven doors in various poses, Salesi casually leaning against his cabinets, Candice crouched down in front contorting her face, someone sitting cross-legged in front of theirs. It is oddly one of my favorite segments of the show.  lol This show's hurry up and wait format is oddly adorable.

[dubbel zout]

I love them all anxiously watching their ovens too. It's very endearing.

[holly4755]

one of the more complicated parts of making the cogs, were that Andrew had to get the crust thickness proper and not to thick, I remember the judges remarking on how hard that is. 

[dubbel zout]

That wasn't unique to Andrew's pies, though. Mary and Paul always remark how important it is for crusts to be properly baked.

[Florinaldo]

1 hour ago, holly4755 said:

one of the more complicated parts of making the cogs, were that Andrew had to get the crust thickness proper and not to thick, I remember the judges remarking on how hard that is. 

The added challenge being that the cogs had to be sturdy enough witthout being so much thicker than the rest of the dough that it would create some imbalance in the cooking times.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Florinaldo

[Spunkygal]

Was it the Celtic knot that was the more intricate of the jumble designs? I sure hope there is a YouTube of Paul showing how to shape it so perfectly. Loved Mel's "that's an "Aragon" (side eye to camera).

[Koalagirl]

I was determined to avoid spoilers but my damn TV Guide outed who the winner was in their latest issue in the Cheers and Jeers column.  It's enough to make me want to cancel my subscription!!!

[dgpolo]

I'm re-watching this on Netflix and I have to say that while the first time through Candice irritated the hell out of me, this time I'm just finding her funny (in a good way) and very supportive of others.

And Andrew is just too cute.

[Adiba]

On November 19, 2017 at 3:10 PM, dgpolo said:

I'm re-watching this on Netflix and I have to say that while the first time through Candice irritated the hell out of me, this time I'm just finding her funny (in a good way) and very supportive of others.

And Andrew is just too cute.

I'm watching this on Netflix for the first time (my local pbs ran it but I forgot to watch) and I agree, at first Candice irked me, but she grew on me. And Andrew, of course -- adorable (saying this in I'm old enough to be his mom kind of way).

[festivus]

Aww, I'm sad Benjamina is gone. The judges seemed to love her flavors most of the time but I think her lack of presentation skills finally did her in. I guess I'll be stuck with Candice in the finale. I've tried, but I just don't like her. I'd rather see any of the other three win, especially Jane or Andrew because I think they've both been underrated this season by Paul. I honestly don't care much for him, he seems to coddle people like Candice and Ruby before her. No, I think you should critique everyone the same, regardless of their personality or how young they are. For the most part, I think Mary does that. I love Selasi too, but I'd be really surprised with a win from him. He sure is a cool cat though.

[aradia22]

Well, that was a disappointment. Up to this point, if asked "whose cookbook would you buy" or "who do you trust the most with flavors," it would have been Benjamina. And given the pretty mild personalities this series, she was also the most fun. Everyone else is fine and I guess I am drawn to Candice's bakes sometimes (the flavors for her two Signature pies sounded delicious) but they can be rather hit or miss. Like, I would still trust a Benjamina recipe over a Candice recipe. I enjoyed all the Tudor puns though I'm a little surprised Sue didn't have more to add given her history with The Supersizers.

[Athena]

Incidentally, Benjamina has done a cookbook on cakes.