S08.E09: Pâtisserie Week

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

It's the semi-final, and the four remaining bakers must set to work on producing 24 exquisite choux buns. Prue Leith has set a complex technical for her first semi-final that leaves everyone stumped. And there's a meringue sculpture showstopper where the bakers mustn't crack under pressure.

[Occasional Hope]

I was a bit worried for Steve at the end there.

[Rinaldo]

So was I -- since last week, actually, when we got the preview of Paul saying it was the hardest decision ever. It's true, they have only admitted to looking back to previous weeks as a tiebreaker twice before, and likewise at the final or semi-final stage. Steven himself said that he had already made his peace with being the one to go.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I can take or leave pâtisserie and stuff like choux buns depending on the filling.

Steven's key lime coconut cheesecake choux buns with lime curd and coconut cream cheese sounded very summery. His bakewell tart choux buns with frangipane, crème pâtissière, and raspberry jam sounded good too (but honestly, I'll eat just about any dessert with raspberry jam). It's too bad that the lime ones were underbaked on the inside but too dark on the outside. And it's hard to disagree with the judges about the other ones looking messy. Interesting that Prue thought the Bakewell ones were too sweet but Paul loved them.

Stacey's unicorn choux buns with rainbow crème pâtissière were totally on trend - unicorn desserts have been really popular for the last year or two. I didn't understand why she made her emoji choux buns with banana chantilly cream and caramel sauce yellow. WHY? I get that she was trying to make them look more like emojis, but the fact that she didn't realize that adding a yellow tint would not make them look appetizing makes me question her taste level (TM Project Runway). I agreed with Prue that the yellow looked like curry.

Sophie's strawberry and rhubarb choux buns sounded delicious - mmmm, strawberry. Her chestnut and vanilla choux buns looked gorgeous with that shiny chocolate on top and the lovely gold leaf.

Kate's Valencia orange choux buns looked perfectly crackly on top. Her bellini choux buns with peach puree and prosecco looked pretty with the multicolored hearts on top. Paul loved the taste. I was surprised that she managed to get the prosecco flavor to be as strong as the peach.

I'd never heard of the Les Misérables pastry the bakers were assigned for the technical challenge. Sophie's looked picture perfect so she definitely deserved first place. Steven's looked like it had pretty even layers too. Kate and Stacey both had messier looking layers but luckily for Stacey, hers tasted better.

What was with the bakers being given 4 hours and 45 minutes for their showstoppers? They couldn't just give them that extra 15 minutes and let them have 5 hours?

Stacey's passionfruit flamingos were well designed (although I was worried that the necks might break). Despite Paul's complaint about the simplicity, she created something that was easily recognizable, was not likely to break/fall apart, and would be easy to serve without completely destroying the centerpiece. Raspberry mousse and vanilla panna cotta? Hell yes! I would have gladly taken one of her little troughs and eaten the entire filling with a spoon.

Sophie's tutu opera cake with coffee mousse and chocolate ganache was such a great idea. When the bodice piece started to crack, I was hoping she would be able to salvage it. Thank goodness her flavors were all delicious.

Steven's French meringue hot air balloon with macarons sounded really ambitious. Strawberry balsamic Eton mess, blackberry curd, and peppermint white chocolate ganache all sounded delicious! I was as horrified as Noel and Sandi when the basket started melting. I can't believe how hot it must have been in the tent for that to happen!

Kate's Swiss meringue rainbow with French meringue clouds, blueberry jam, mango passionfruit cream, and meringue kisses sounded like it had the potential to look very messy. I was also afraid that her rainbow would break or fall over. I will give her that everything but the rainbow was very bright and colorful.

I was sure that they wouldn't eliminate Steven because he seemed destined for the finale since the beginning. I'm excited to see all the other bakers again next week but I'm sad that the season is almost over!

Edited October 25, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This week's recipes:

Steven's Bakewell tart choux buns
Kate's Valencian orange craquelin choux buns
Stacey's banoffee craquelin choux buns

Prue's Les Misérables

Sophie's hazelnut dacquoise centerpiece
Kate's rainbow meringue centerpiece

Stacey's exit interview

 

[Ceindreadh]

7 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

So was I -- since last week, actually, when we got the preview of Paul saying it was the hardest decision ever. It's true, they have only admitted to looking back to previous weeks as a tiebreaker twice before, and likewise at the final or semi-final stage. Steven himself said that he had already made his peace with being the one to go.

When they said about looking back over previous weeks, I was fairly certain that Steven would be saved because he’d got three star bakers to Stacey’s one and I don’t think he’d ever been in the danger zone before whereas Stacey had. 

I’m afraid that I was hoping Kate would have another bad week and this time there wouldn’t be anybody for her to hide behind but it wasn’t to be.  I honestly thought her rainbow colours were a bit bland and couldn’t see why Prue was so impressed  

I’d like Steven to win it but I think Sophie has the skills and Kate has the luck. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

I honestly thought her rainbow colours were a bit bland and couldn’t see why Prue was so impressed  

I thought the meringue rainbow looked faded, but I thought that all of the other stuff she did was bright. I agreed with Paul - it looked a bit too childish and messy.

Now that we're down to the final four, it seems silly that the official GBBO website isn't listing all of the recipes from this episode. One of the other Bake Off shows (I think it was the Australian one) used to listed ALL the recipes for every episode, which I loved.

[zibnchy]

Watching a few episodes of Australian Bake Off and I noticed they edit the episodes to show the bakers interacting a lot more with each other, giving tips and especially giving needed assistance. I like it. GBBO seems to operate as if the bakers don't share much information.

A lot of folks on twitter really dislike Stacey. I don't get it. Was sorry to see her go because I find Stephen off-putting. Sophie is my pick to win. I miss Yan very much. I would have loved a Yan, Liam, Sophie final 3. I generally just accept what the judges say because I assume they have a lot more information than I do BUT Kate really should have left 3 weeks ago.

IMO the show-stoppers haven't really been very impressive this season (and sometimes actually awful). Any ideas why?

[Primetimer]

Everyone cracks themselves up vying for a spot in the finale.

View the full article

[pfk505]

Sophie FTW! Although, as usual, I'd be happy with any of them as winners. Well deserved to all of them and Stacey as well, she would not have been out of place in the finals.

Edited October 26, 2017 by pfk505

[ae2]

The discussion about "looking back over previous weeks" was curious, because it seemingly happened before Paul and Prue deliberated, and it (from what I recall) was posed by the hosts and not the judges. In other words, the way it was presented to us didn't make sense because the judges didn't yet realize that they would have to look at previous weeks, and even if they did the hosts did not. 

[Rinaldo]

I think it makes sense, because it's always seemed clear to me that those little "conference" segments are the closest to "scripted" that the show gets. Not totally, but in the sense that they may talk it through first, then run it again for the camera, streamlined so everything gets said in an intelligible order and wording. Or Paul may suggest "If you say X, that'll set us up to say Y." I never assumed that everything necessary magically gets said just right in 30 seconds, just by happenstance.

[Charlesman]

OK, I get that "the tent" is how the show is done, but, really now, with the move to the new network perhaps there's some room in the budget for a different location, or, at least some better A/C and ventilation? It just doesn't seem to be a fair judge if it gets hot enough inside to melt chocolate due solely to the air temperature inside. Let's see these people at their best, please? 

[theodyssey]

Not sure Dave is the right guy to be judging a baking show - seems like he's not into a lot of pretty common flavours!

Also - as a guy from "the rhubarb triangle" I take offence at the idea that rhubarb is filler - it can be great, done right. Decent rhubarb tarts are definitely not devoid of flavour.

[aradia22]

Quote

Steven's French meringue hot air balloon with macarons sounded really ambitious. Strawberry balsamic Eton mess, blackberry curd, and peppermint white chocolate ganache all sounded delicious! I was as horrified as Noel and Sandi when the basket started melting. I can't believe how hot it must have been in the tent for that to happen!

Seriously, how hot was it in the tent? As far as producer manipulation goes, I wonder how they decided the order of presentation. I mean, yes, Prue made the argument that the meringue showpiece should last outside for around 5 hours but come on. How was it that Stephen had to go last again when it was clear once they were finished that he had a crack in his meringue that was only going to get bigger the longer they made him wait to be judged?

Count me in the not liking Stacey camp. I didn't hate her. I don't know if GBBO is meant to inspire the strong feelings of a show like Project Runway, for instance. But as much as you can read into a reality competition show that doesn't spoonfeed you a narrative, I didn't love Stacey's approach to things. Especially with something like baking, I gravitate towards the bakers who are cool and competent and skillfully precise. Even though she had some successes, Stacey mostly seemed a bit too slapdash with garish colors and usually making things more than once. I was glad she was out this week. 

[ombelico]

I honestly thought Stacey could have justifiably been eliminated in the first episode, so this elimination was a long time coming and was clearly inevitable. I would have much preferred to see Liam in the final four.

[mjc570]

I learned quite a few things in this episode - that there are such things as an Eton mess and Les miserable pastry.  I also learned that I am seriously craving any (or all) of those choux buns. Now the frozen mini eclairs just won't do it anymore. 

While I never really thought Stacey should have made it through this far, I did think her swans, while not as ambitious as they could have been in terms of structure, were very nice.  Certainly more attractive than Kate's faded rainbow,  I just didn't get the judge love.  I do think Kate has been very lucky, I don't think she is any better than Liam would have been.

I hope they didn't ding Steven for the melted chocolate basket - that was certainly not his fault (although may be should have taken the temp into account when designing it), I don't know why they can't AC that tent.  I didn't really like his balloon anyway, though it did show a high skill  level.  I think his hand bag was amazing, he hasn't come near that level since.

Looking forward to the final - I've enjoyed this season much more than I thought I would.

[Pickles]

Love Steven. I also like Kate. She always seems fairly  calm. I think she is very pretty and has a nice laugh. Sophie seems a bit smug to me. 

[krankydoodle]

On 10/25/2017 at 8:37 PM, zibnchy said:

A lot of folks on twitter really dislike Stacey. I don't get it.

I remember reading the Guardian recaps when the show was first airing in the UK, and being surprised at the amount of hate she got in the comments. I don't dislike Stacey, but I think she's my least favorite contestant this season. She just gets so intense about everything. Other bakers would also get stressed because of time pressures or mistakes, but Stacey seemed to become so frantic that it made it hard for me to enjoy watching. I also wasn't a fan of the bright colors she favored.

[Mabinogia]

I didn't care for Stacey. I didn't hate her but I wish she had gone a lot sooner than she did because she just wasn't enjoyable to watch. She made me anxious. There seems to be one every season. Had she been on with someone really annoying like Ruby I probably wouldn't have minded her, but I really did like this bunch and someone has to be least favorite. lol Julia was close, she could work my nerves with her fretting, but I liked her banter with Noel so she gets a pass for that. 

[GaT]

I was really worried for Steven, he wasn't great this episode, he may be collapsing under the strain.

It's ridiculous that the show can't put some fans in the tent to keep it cool. if it's so hot that chocolate melts, they're lucky someone doesn't drop from heat stroke.

[limecoke]

I’m fine with this.  In fact, it’s about time.  I always thought Stacy’s signature and showstopper bakes were a bit garish and juvenile looking.  

Should be a good final but I’m still bitter over Liam.  

[Kohola3]

I was a bit surprised when they mentioned taking into account past successes and failures. I understood that the judging was strictly from the current episode.

This has been a particularly difficult season for me.  I feel so badly about the whole heat issue.  That just doesn't seem fair to me since they are allowed to practice their show stoppers ahead.  How as Steven to know that it would be hot enough for his basket to melt?  You can't possibly plan for all contingencies especially an ambient temperature hot enough to melt chocolate!

[illdoc]

16 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I was a bit surprised when they mentioned taking into account past successes and failures.

I think if it's too close to call, they do look back to help them decide. In one of the earlier seasons (on PBS), they did that too and ended up not sending anyone home that week.

[rab01]

Stacy's aesthetic wasn't my cup of tea but I enjoyed watching her (holding the door shut on a broken oven is one of the more memorable moments of the season).  We can't taste the bakes but it seemed from what we saw and the judges' spontaneous reactions during the episode that Stacy did better on the weekend (not equal, better) than did Steven but not enough to take away his spot in the finale.   I would have been deeply disappointed if Steven missed the finale (and I'm certainly not the only one) so it's better for the show and for Stacy herself to be eliminated now, so I'm happy with the result.

[Mabinogia]

3 hours ago, rab01 said:

Stacy's aesthetic wasn't my cup of tea but I enjoyed watching her (holding the door shut on a broken oven is one of the more memorable moments of the season). 

I did love that. And the fact that she was offered someone else's oven but she was like "no thank you, I'll just hold this door here". Presumably because going in with someone else would have messed up the timing on both their bakes. She did seem very nice. She just came across as kind of mistake prone or something. My memory isn't the greatest but the impression I was left with after watching the season was that things always seemed to go wrong for her. 

[Kohola3]

42 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

My memory isn't the greatest but the impression I was left with after watching the season was that things always seemed to go wrong for her. 

She did seem to have a lot of timing issues and bad luck to boot.

[theatremouse]

2 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

And the fact that she was offered someone else's oven but she was like "no thank you, I'll just hold this door here". Presumably because going in with someone else would have messed up the timing on both their bakes.

I think the taking it out of one oven and into another could potentially screw up the texture, however quickly it were done. As long as it was physically feasible to hold it closed, that was probably the safer way to go. Well...safer for the bake..probably not for her personally.

[rab01]

It was hard to hear but I think she was refusing someone's help saying that she had it under control and they shouldn't allow themselves to be distracted by her problems.  She did use a different oven for other stuff once that piece was done.

[cherrypj]

Ah, I usually don't cry until the final. I'm always a bit predisposed to parents.

I thought the episode was really well done: the bakers' voiceovers while the camera swooped around them. I don't think I'll ever try my hand at that Les Mis cake, though. Whew.

By the way, I have never seen chocolate melt like Stephen's chocolate basket. Did he not temper it?

Edited September 14, 2018 by cherrypj
Comment about Steven

[illdoc]

8 hours ago, cherrypj said:

By the way, I have never seen chocolate melt like Stephen's chocolate basket. Did he not temper it

I think it was about 100 F in the tent. That would melt any chocolate (I'm sure it didn't actually melt as quickly as it appeared on tv)

[Rinaldo]

As Mary likes to say in the Masterclasses, "a chocolate bar will melt in your pocket." It doesn't take that high a temperature to get chocolate melted, which is why controlling the process can be so fraught.

[illdoc]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

"a chocolate bar will melt in your pocket."

"a child's pocket" is what I usually hear.

[PaulaO]

I’ve heard “a schoolboy’s pocket”.

[Rinaldo]

You're quite right. I thought I remembered "a schoolboy's pocket," but it's been a year or two, didn't want to put words in her mouth if they were inaccurate, so I went for a neutral generic paraphrase. Shoulda known better in this photographic-memoried crowd! :)

[Ilovepie]

I was so happy Stephen made it! Despite his performance this week, it just wouldn't have been right for him to not make the finals when he has been one of the best from week to week. I have actually loved this season, mostly because the bakers were well cast. Sandi and Noel have grown on me to the point I don't even miss Mel and Sue. I haven't watched the final yet, but the only thing that would have made the season better is if Liam was in the final instead of Kate, who I feel has been hovering in the bottom for a long time and has only survived by beating just one other person from week to week. It will be a travesty if she wins.

I was happy Stacy was sent home - her stuff was so tacky and garish. Was there a week where she didn't have something hot pink? It's like she has the aesthetic of a six year old girl! I know they called Kate's show stopper juvenile, but I found Stacy's equally so.

[lovinbob]

On 9/11/2018 at 6:01 PM, Mabinogia said:

I did love that. And the fact that she was offered someone else's oven but she was like "no thank you, I'll just hold this door here". Presumably because going in with someone else would have messed up the timing on both their bakes. She did seem very nice. She just came across as kind of mistake prone or something. My memory isn't the greatest but the impression I was left with after watching the season was that things always seemed to go wrong for her. 

What I liked about her was that she would redo something that went wrong. So often contestants on these shows try to plow through after a mistake when they'd have been better off starting over. It's a risk, of course.

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, lovinbob said:

It's a risk, of course.

I think it was more of a risk for her because she always had ambitious plans and then ran out of time.

But that oven door thing was kind of hilarious.  Loved her down there on the floor just holding it up there.  Great visual for an intrepid spirit.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

But that oven door thing was kind of hilarious.  Loved her down there on the floor just holding it up there.  Great visual for an intrepid spirit.

That was a great "Keep Calm and Carry On" moment. No freaking out, no excuses, no "woe is me" BS. She just got down on the ground and held that door closed. lol I loved her in that moment. 

[lidarose9]

I recorded this and am just now watching. I wasn't so much disappointed about Stacy leaving, but I was shocked that Sophie was Star Baker. Her ballet tutu was kind of a mess, broken, and looked like a hat. To me the design was quite simple and it was not well executed. I was truly shocked by that decision.

Unlike many of you, I liked Stacy very much. I agree she probably should have gone home several weeks ago, but I found her relatable and down to earth. She got nervous and shook up, but that seems so normal. I agree that Liam should have been there. 

I found myself getting accustomed to the new hosts and judge; I didn't care for the goth guy much, but he's growing on me. What I like about them is they don't try to be Mel & Sue. But I absolutely hated missing the technical and having to wade through commercials. I will watch this again when it's on PBS. 

Also: everybody knows it gets hot in the tent. If you watch the show you know this. They all are working in the same heat, so it's an even playing field. If I was a contestant, I'd plan ahead for that. But yes, it would make sense to get some a/c in there. 

Edited September 29, 2018 by lidarose9

[Sew Sumi]

It's not going to be on PBS. Netflix owns the rights.

Edited September 29, 2018 by Sew Sumi

[dleighg]

11 minutes ago, lidarose9 said:

I found myself getting accustomed to the new hosts and judge; I didn't care for the goth guy much, but he's growing on me. What I like about them is they don't try to be Mel & Sue. But I absolutely hated missing the technical and having to wade through commercials. I will watch this again when it's on PBS. 

 

I watched it on netflix. No commercials and we got the technical.

[fib]

On 9/14/2018 at 4:30 AM, cherrypj said:

By the way, I have never seen chocolate melt like Stephen's chocolate basket. Did he not temper it?

To temper chocolate, you melt it (getting it up to 120F), cool it rapidly by adding more chocolate to 82F, then warm it to 91F, and then cool til it is pipable. Main point of this commentary is that chocolate is still liquid at 82F after adding the extra, so it wouldnt have to be that hot in the tent to get it to melt.  (though it technically melts around 86-90F on its own).  He should have realized how hot it was and used caramel.  Or meringue (with the blowtorch to make it brown).  IMHO, this was a bit of a failure on Steven's part to adjust to the conditions. He had options, just didnt use them. 

On 10/26/2017 at 1:02 PM, Charlesman said:

OK, I get that "the tent" is how the show is done, but, really now, with the move to the new network perhaps there's some room in the budget for a different location, or, at least some better A/C and ventilation? It just doesn't seem to be a fair judge if it gets hot enough inside to melt chocolate due solely to the air temperature inside. Let's see these people at their best, please? 

Many shows like this have VERY limited A/C - the main other example I will showcase is Bachelor in paradise - there is no A/C on in the resort, because A/C messes with the audio.  So I think that the tent has generally been a good option because England is usually so temperate.  But it was really hot the last 2 summers in the UK, and in June 2017, it was hotter at Heathrow than it had been in 40 years (34.5C ~ 94F) .  (The filming locale is just west of Heathrow, so that's pretty representative of the temp).  I don't know exactly when the show films, but based on the comments about exams and such, id say it starts in the spring and ends in early summer so it can air in August.  That would put the last couple weeks right around that late June heatwave in 2017.  Average June High Temp is 20C ~ 70F, so you can see why the bakers struggled.  This is soooo outside their norm!

[The Hound Lives]

On 9/29/2018 at 3:58 PM, lidarose9 said:

I recorded this and am just now watching. I wasn't so much disappointed about Stacy leaving, but I was shocked that Sophie was Star Baker. Her ballet tutu was kind of a mess, broken, and looked like a hat. To me the design was quite simple and it was not well executed. I was truly shocked by that decision.

Unlike many of you, I liked Stacy very much. I agree she probably should have gone home several weeks ago, but I found her relatable and down to earth. She got nervous and shook up, but that seems so normal. I agree that Liam should have been there. 

I found myself getting accustomed to the new hosts and judge; I didn't care for the goth guy much, but he's growing on me. What I like about them is they don't try to be Mel & Sue. But I absolutely hated missing the technical and having to wade through commercials. I will watch this again when it's on PBS. 

Also: everybody knows it gets hot in the tent. If you watch the show you know this. They all are working in the same heat, so it's an even playing field. If I was a contestant, I'd plan ahead for that. But yes, it would make sense to get some a/c in there. 

I know this post is almost 2 years old but thanks to quarantine, I’m re-watching all the seasons.

I really liked all the bakers this season, lots of wonderful and warm personalities. I really liked Stacy too. I agree with you… She was very relatable. Incredibly hard on her self and a total nervous nelly but I like that she did push her self. Even if it meant time would get the best of her, she would still go for it and adapt. At least, as much as she could. Some of her “showstoppers“ might’ve been a little bit corny or childish but I always thought they were fun. Lots of bright colors. I like that because it is memorable. 
I digress. I was OK with the final three this season. David, Sophie and Kate. But I know the judges have favorites. Just in the way they talk to them, you can tell. That’s fine, they’re allowed to like certain contestants a bit more. I’m just completely shocked that Sophie’s tutu wasn’t called out for the mess it was. Instead, all we heard was praise. The desert and the meringue might’ve been delicious but her meringue centerpiece was a cracked and crumbly looking mess. She has made many beautiful pastries and desserts but this “showstopper” was awful and hearing the judges praise it for creativity, when they called out the other contestants for what they saw as shortcomings, just pissed me off a bit. I think they called Stacys flamingos childish or juvenile? We knew those were flamingos! You could tell what it was! They called Sophie’s a hat! Sophie made a tutu and flamingos are juvenile? Ugh. It is really bugged me so much that I had to come to this board, find the thread and post this. LOL

[dargosmydaddy]

Quote

 I’m just completely shocked that Sophie’s tutu wasn’t called out for the mess it was. Instead, all we heard was praise. The desert and the meringue might’ve been delicious but her meringue centerpiece was a cracked and crumbly looking mess. She has made many beautiful pastries and desserts but this “showstopper” was awful and hearing the judges praise it for creativity, when they called out the other contestants for what they saw as shortcomings, just pissed me off a bit. I think they called Stacys flamingos childish or juvenile? We knew those were flamingos! You could tell what it was! They called Sophie’s a hat! Sophie made a tutu and flamingos are juvenile? Ugh. It is really bugged me so much that I had to come to this board, find the thread and post this. LOL

I mean, they (or specifically Paul) did call it a hat, so I don't think its appearance was being universally praised/ gushed over. And Sophie did a decent job hiding her cracks with pretty piping and other elements; it didn't particularly scream "ballet" to me, but it was a pretty-looking dessert. And it apparently tasted good, which was what helped her get Star Baker, as Paul seemed somewhat disconcerted by Kate's flavor combos. That, and Sophie's first in the technical (compared to Kate's last), and she seemed to be a more-than-deserving Star Baker in a week where everyone had issues.

And while I don't think the judges said so outright, I do think Sophie and Steven deserved some credit for creating truly 3-D desserts. The fact that Stacy's flamingos were just flat shapes was commented on briefly, and Kate's rainbow was the same. It seemed a "safer" (though one of Stacy's flamingoes still cracked) and less-inspired choice, all things considered.

I thought Steven was going to go home right until they said that previous weeks were the tie-breaker, and then I figured he was safe, which made me happy. Him crying at the end (and choking up when he tried to joke that his balloon had flown too close to the sun during the judging) made me want to give him a hug.

I'm OK with the final three, though I would have preferred Liam or Yan over Kate. My prediction for winner is Sophie, but I would love it if Steven bounced back. I don't dislike Kate, but a win from her would make me a bit sad after Sophie and Steven have been consistently strong and she's just eked by a lot of the time.