S02.E07: Patisserie Week

[Athena]

Quote

It’s the semi-finals, and the bakers prepare Petit four glacé-style mini cakes, French crullers, and mille-feuille.

[dubbel zout]

These were interesting bakes, I thought. Are there two finalists because of losing a contestant to illness earlier on? 

I knew Jenny would go home the moment her puff pastry wasn't fully baked.

The final bakes look really good. 

[Kohola3]

Those peanut butter and jelly petit fours had my mouth watering!

I really enjoy this show, it's a thousand times better than those other horrid baking competitions with all of the trash talking and hysteria.  I really like all of the contestants, they all seem like truly nice folks.

[Eolivet]

Well, this may be an actual battle. Amanda has the edge as a "technician," but I think Steph has the better flavors. I think (no spoilers, obviously) Amanda will take it, but I wouldn't be surprised at an upset either. Much more evenly matched than last year, where it was obvious that Lauren would win.

I've found this show much better paced this year than last year -- they found their footing, for a...midseason limited series reality show.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

Are there two finalists because of losing a contestant to illness earlier on? 

Probably.  They lost two contestants and had one week where they didn't let anyone go. I guess they didn't want to do it twice.  Or maybe there was no week where they didn't have a clear loser which may have been the threshold whether or not they spared someone or eliminated them.

I kind of love petit fours and I kind of hate them.  I'm not a big fan of frosting so it's kind of the perfect way for me to get cake.  But then they're so small that I feel like my mouth isn't full of the sweet stuff.  And I'm not a donut fan but those looked yummy.

[Maverick]

 Have these people never been to a Krispy Kreme?   "Should I have put a hole in?"   I mean I know the ones you get in the store are cake instead of choux, but the basic premise is the same.... ring doughnut with ridges and a glaze.  

[theatremouse]

Yeah, french cruller is not exactly a mysterious concept. I've seen them in pretty much every donut shop I've ever been in too. Even if they might not have been proper choux, I was surprised anyone didn't know what the finished product should look like.

Edited January 6, 2017 by theatremouse

[MerBearHou]

I haven't grown attached to any of these bakers -- not even close to how I felt about the British bakers -- but I've sure enjoyed the series.  It's just a huge treat.  I'm particularly not wild about Amanda because it always seems like she's had a makeup and hair stylist on hand before she bakes -- hair is expertly curled "just so" to hang down and her makeup and lipstick are party-ready for a close-up.  Sounds petty, I know, but it annoys me.  Johnny, Mary, Ian and Nia are fun.  

Edited January 6, 2017 by MerBearHou

[GaT]

Both Amanda & Stephanie mentioned practicing making petit fours at home, so I'm still confused as to how this all works with American contestants filming in England.

I’m glad Jennie is gone, I just couldn’t stand hearing her accent anymore.

How did Stephanie not think of putting holes in her donut? And how did she get Star Baker after doing that?

[mertensia]

I think the right person went home.

How come the choux pastry didn't crumble to bits when they cut it into thirds?

I think there probably were given a list of possible showstopper/signature items and practiced while they waited.

I wonder if that catalog Jenny mentioned is the Swiss Colony catalog?

[DHDancer]

1 hour ago, mertensia said:

How come the choux pastry didn't crumble to bits when they cut it into thirds?

The choux was for the crullers.  Choux doesn't fall apart.

The puff pastry used for the milles feuille was baked in such a way that it puffs only a little amount (they docked it and weighted it with a tray)  One of the bakers actually cut hers before baking to make the 3 layers: the other two baked a single sheet then cut it afterwards.  We didn't get to see  Mary/Johnny really cutting into them at the end: this is because the "bake" really does fall apart and get very messy.

ps I'm also glad Jenny is gone: her voice just made me nuts.  Sorry Jenny, but you might want to work on that if you want to do more TV work.

Edited January 6, 2017 by DHDancer

[DHDancer]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

Both Amanda & Stephanie mentioned practicing making petit fours at home, so I'm still confused as to how this all works with American contestants filming in England.

I seem to remember Amanda mentioning that they were getting practice time between challenges.  I assume therefore they have housing in the UK rather than a hotel room, or simply that they did all their practicing in the US before coming over.  I also noticed tonight that they were using powered gelatin, not the sheets we've seen during the regular GBBS so some adapting has been done for the US-centric contestants.

Edited January 6, 2017 by DHDancer

[Maya]

7 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I'm particularly not wild about Amanda because it always seems like she's had a makeup and hair stylist on hand before she bakes -- hair is expertly curled "just so" to hang down and her makeup and lipstick are party-ready for a close-up.  Sounds petty, I know, but it annoys me.  Johnny, Mary, Ian and Nia are fun.  

Amanda is very smug. I'm not a fan either. Pretty sure she's going to win though. 

Edited January 6, 2017 by Maya

[Primetimer]

You're in America now. Some basic knowledge of donut design is going to be required. STEPHANIE.

View the full article

[Pickles]

Amanda clearly has naturally curly hair and a lot of those curls probably just form like that. I have the same kind of hair. I looked at her Instagram and she is currently growing it out. I was rooting for her, but I really like Steph! She also has an Instagram and looks like an incredible baker. She also has a very cute husband. 

Was Jenny's accent Minnesota/Wisconsin? Not good.

[Kohola3]

Jennie had an accent?  Guess my years of working in an inner city hospital sort of blinds me to something like that.

[dubbel zout]

6 hours ago, mertensia said:

I wonder if that catalog Jenny mentioned is the Swiss Colony catalog?

It could also be Harry & David.

The contestants know everything they're going to be baking except the challenges, so they can practice everything ahead of time.

[proserpina65]

I wanted to eat all those petit-fours.  Chocolate Hazelnut for the win, but the rest sounded really tasty.

Unlike Mary Berry, I like it when fresh cut fruit bleeds into the cream.

Not all donuts have holes in the middle, but usually the ones that don't have filling instead.  Still, glad Stephanie made it to the final.

[Ilovecomputers]

I'm hoping Steph will win, but Mary really seems to favor Amanda.  I notice when other bakers do something different, they're almost scolded when it doesn't turn out quite right, but Amanda is praised by Mary for having the courage to try.  There's a restaurant I frequent that serves Napoleons and I've seen it at one other place, and the desserts they served on TGABC didn't look anything like the ones I've seen.  I've wanted to try making that myself, but the recipe I have in a Fanny Farmer cookbook seems like an all day project.  I thought that it was a traditional thing to drizzle semi-sweet chocolate on the top.

Can't stand the American judge--Johnny or whoever he is.  He gives the contestants nasty looks and I almost expect he'll pull some sort of lever and the contestant will drop down a chute into the shark infested moat.   

Edited January 6, 2017 by Ilovecomputers

[proserpina65]

37 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Jennie had an accent?  Guess my years of working in an inner city hospital sort of blinds me to something like that.

She definitely did, but it's not like she was putting it on or something.  It's her voice.

36 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

It could also be Harry & David.

The contestants know everything they're going to be baking except the challenges, so they can practice everything ahead of time.

Or Figi's.  I get that one.

[GenieinTX]

Every time they said "pourable fondant" I thought they were saying "horrible fondant".  Because most fondant is horrible.   But I was seriously impressed with the petit fours, I would never even consider making those by hand.

[Jillybean]

I thought I remembered that Jennie lives in New Jersey? Her accent didn't sound quite like Jersey to me, though.

Amanda's hair looks to me like naturally curly hair (which I have as well, only could never wear it in such a short cute style). Funny, I was thinking that she looks like someone who probably never bothers with makeup but had to wear some for the show.

[Ruprecht]

I thought the right person went home. Jennie's showstopper looked unpolished to me (the piping especially). But I disagreed with the choice of star baker. The judges said they were considering all the challenges. I'd say that everyone was pretty even for the first challenge (everyone got some praise and some dings). There was no question for me on the technical: Amanda's first and second donuts were perfect but Stephanie's were not consistently fried and she was MISSING THE HOLE. Donuts without holes are usually filled. She totally deserved the third place. For the showstopper, I thought Stephanie may have won it with Amanda a close second solely because of that unnatural green pear concoction. If she hadn't added that, I think she would have won star baker for the day. Which means the previous challenges weren't factored in judging and that bothers me. 

That said, I'm looking forward to the finale. I really relate to both women. With Amanda, I also struggle with acknowledging my accomplishments and tend to need validation (I am my own harshest critic). With Stephanie, I also work in a full-time job that doesn't necessarily inspire me and I do cake decorating to feed the creative part of myself. So I'm excited to see two really good bakers compete. I've really enjoyed this season and think the producers are finding the right rhythm. 

Edited January 6, 2017 by Ruprecht

[Writing Wrongs]

1 hour ago, GenieinTX said:

 

Every time they said "pourable fondant" I thought they were saying "horrible fondant". 

 

So did I and it was confusing me.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Figi's.

Figi's! A blast from the past! I had a roommate who worked there during the holidays to get some extra cash, and she said it was a nightmare.

20 minutes ago, Ruprecht said:

I'm excited to see two really good bakers compete.

Same here. I think Steph and Amanda both deserve to be in the final, and while Amanda usually has the better presentation, Steph has the more adventurous flavors. Who wins will depend on what the judges value more in the particular bakes, I think. 

Next week is going to be a lot of fun.

[Cowgirl]

9 hours ago, mertensia said:

I wonder if that catalog Jenny mentioned is the Swiss Colony catalog?

I wondered the same thing, or Figi's.  Those are the only petit fours I've ever eaten. Honestly, it never even occurred to me that you can bake them yourself!! 

[Kohola3]

In case you get hungry for petit fours and don't want to make them.  Not sure if they use horrible fondant or not.

[dubbel zout]

I think "rich, deluxe coatings" means horrible fondant, especially given their appearance.

[Jesse]

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Probably.  They lost two contestants and had one week where they didn't let anyone go. I guess they didn't want to do it twice.  Or maybe there was no week where they didn't have a clear loser which may have been the threshold whether or not they spared someone or eliminated them.

Yeah, I imagine they left themselves the option of a second non-elimination episode, but didn't end up using it. 

 

As a born-and-bred Northeasterner, Jennie's accent is crazy to me! She "grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in a suburb of Chicago." Steph and Amanda, it doesn't say where they are actually from. 

[Mondrianyone]

As I born-and-bred Northeasterner, I find it comforting to know where all our r's went.  I mean, they had to go somewhere.  ;o)

[meep.meep]

2 hours ago, GenieinTX said:

Every time they said "pourable fondant" I thought they were saying "horrible fondant".  Because most fondant is horrible.   But I was seriously impressed with the petit fours, I would never even consider making those by hand.

Me three on the horrible fondant!

The three plaid shirts seemed a little too much.

I don't see how Steph got Star Baker when she mucked up the Technical.  They must have really liked her Napoleon.

[dubbel zout]

I think Amanda's screaming green jelly in the showstopper sank her. Plus, both Mary and Johnny couldn't taste all the flavors that were supposed to be in it.

[dleighg]

2 hours ago, Jillybean said:

I thought I remembered that Jennie lives in New Jersey? Her accent didn't sound quite like Jersey to me, though.

 

to me her accent is classic northern midwest (Minnesota or even Canadian, eh). Definitely NOT New Jersey (my home state).

[GaT]

1 hour ago, Jesse said:

Yeah, I imagine they left themselves the option of a second non-elimination episode, but didn't end up using it. 

 

As a born-and-bred Northeasterner, Jennie's accent is crazy to me! She "grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in a suburb of Chicago." Steph and Amanda, it doesn't say where they are actually from. 

Jennie's accent reminded me of the movie "Fargo", the accent sounds like that to me.

[dleighg]

I would have been sunk because I grew up thinking of a cruller as a longish thing. And I'm not hallucinating it.

http://www.elmwoodpastryshop.com/Donuts.html

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, dleighg said:

I would have been sunk because I grew up thinking of a cruller as a longish thing. And I'm not hallucinating it.

Yes, I think I only ever heard the word in The Wizard of Oz and I think they were like your picture.

[Kohola3]

Well, Johnny wouldn't approve of the Elmwood Pastry Shop!  But the crullers that I had when I used to eat donuts (haven't for many years, they give me heartburn) were definitely not like those we saw last night. Same shape and icing but just regular donut-type dough in a different presentation.

[irisheyes]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

to me her accent is classic northern midwest (Minnesota or even Canadian, eh). Definitely NOT New Jersey (my home state).

She's from Chicago.  It's a typical Chicago/Illinois accent. 

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, irisheyes said:

She's from Chicago.  It's a typical Chicago/Illinois accent. 

No, it is not. I'm from Chicago, nearby all my life and I've never heard that accent so even if it is from around here it's not typical.

[JenMD]

They were making French crullers; traditional crullers are the rectangular ones (although the ones where I live are more commonly just sticks and not the fancy rectangles pictured).

Edited January 6, 2017 by JenMD

[dleighg]

^thanks for the link. I grew up in the mid-Atlantic, and probably ate them at D'Donuts before they discontinued them.

"In 2003, the Dunkin' Donuts chain of doughnut shops stopped carrying traditional crullers, claiming that the hand-shaped rectangular treats were too labor-intensive, and couldn't be simulated with new machines for mixing doughnut batter. The company still sells "French Crullers"[1] which can be formed by a kind of extruding nozzle.[4]"

[theatremouse]

2 hours ago, irisheyes said:

She's from Chicago.  It's a typical Chicago/Illinois accent. 

She currently lives near Chicago, but I'm almost certain I heard her say she grew up in Wisconsin in an earlier episode. Her voice sounds super WI to me. Her bio just says "Midwest" though so it she might've spent time in WI and MN too.

Edited January 6, 2017 by theatremouse

[Madding crowd]

I grew up in Wi and her accent doesn't sound like anyone I know either. It will have to remain a mystery!

[dleighg]

Does she sound a bit like good old Sarah from Wasilla?

[DHDancer]

Whole Foods bakery section carries all sorts of petit fours (they don't HAVE to be cube shaped).  Also the "fondant" you're all talking about is actually a simple royal icing normally: icing/powdered sugar, and a liquid, maybe some glycerin. You can also melt rollable fondant to a liquid form for pouring but it's basically still royal icing. The thing about petit fours is they are almost NEVER made with cake baked the same day: it needs to cool completely and firm up so to avoid all those crumbs we were seeing.  Like puff pastry, people normally don't make their own because they require professional equipment for best results :)

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, dleighg said:

I would have been sunk because I grew up thinking of a cruller as a longish thing. And I'm not hallucinating it.

http://www.elmwoodpastryshop.com/Donuts.html

Yes, I was picturing a longish thing too. I thought that's what made them different from donuts.

[Frost]

I'm from Minnesota and have lived a lot of different places (including Madison WI and Chicago).  Jennie's accent sounds like a mash up of WI/Chicago to me.  Regardless, she was doomed  by her undercooked puff pastry - and she knew it.  I admire her graciousness.  No pouting, or throwing things.  I really love this show so much more than the ones on Food network.

[Winter Rose]

I think the right person went home, the raw pastry was just too much to overlook. I was surprised with Star Baker, I thought Amanda was more consistent over the three challenges even though Steph had the stronger showstopper. But it doesn't matter because they're the right two people to be in the final.

The technical was rough for me to watch because I hate anything resembling doughnuts. I've tried a cruller before and it's the same problem, I think they look good but I just don't like the way they taste.

I love the atmosphere of this show, it's so positive and all about the food, not about how obnoxious the contestants can be. My only little gripe was early on Nia commenting on liking the rosemary and that alerted the judges to saying they didn't taste it. I don't mind the hosts trying the food, I just don't think they should try to act like judges. Just say they like the food and stop there.

[Pjxf99]

On 1/6/2017 at 7:24 AM, Maya said:

Amanda is very smug. I'm not a fan either. Pretty sure she's going to win though. 

That's funny because I see Amanda as someone who is actually kind of shy and insecure but it comes off as smug....maybe I just see her that way because I know people like that.  

God,  I'd hate to go on TV,  I don't think I could stand to read about what people thought of me! 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Pjxf99 said:

God,  I'd hate to go on TV,  I don't think I could stand to read about what people thought of me!

Or how I spoke, or what my hair looked like, etc., etc.