The Great Canadian Baking Show - General Discussion

[Florinaldo]

1 hour ago, JTM said:

What does even mean?

Jay is gay. His cake was a celebration of pride and equality; he also mentioned his husband I believe.

Mind you, he is not the only gay contestant this season, but he is the one who was most out about it.

[JTM]

3 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Jay is gay. His cake was a celebration of pride and equality; he also mentioned his husband I believe.

Mind you, he is not the only gay contestant this season, but he is the one who was most out about it.

Ya, I know. What I didn't understand is the poster noting Jay was sent home, and then hoping the CBC wouldn't 'go all pc on the winners'. Like, is the poster peeved that a white fellow was sent home? It seemed pretty obvious he would be -- he had a really rough go this week.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I wasn't exactly sure what kind of baked goods they would use for old school week, but I feel like people still eat coffee cake, don't they? I loved seeing Chris, Colin, and Liam drinking coffee together while their cakes were baking.

Colin's fig and oat coffee cake with honey glaze and almond fig streusel looked nice. The figs on top added a nice bit of color. Ha, I had to laugh when Colin said that coffee cake is a great way to have cake for breakfast without feeling guilty. I still remember someone saying that muffins are just cake for breakfast, but coffee cake is even more obvious since the word "cake" is in the name.

Jay's Elvis inspired coffee cake with peanut butter bacon streusel definitely looked old school. Loved that he wasn't stingy with the bacon on top. It's too bad it wasn't baked all the way through.

Jasmine's peach and raspberry coffee cake with cinnamon streusel and peach coulis sounded good. I mean, peach and raspberry! I was so relieved that she didn't drop her cake.

I love that the first cake that Chris ever made was a coffee cake in home ec class! His coffee cake with poached pears and chai streusel looked great. I loved the way he sliced the pears to decorate the top. Poor guy - he was so concerned with not letting the pears add too much moisture that his coffee cake ended up being too dry.

Nataliia's apple and strawberry coffee cake with almond streusel and lemon glaze sounded SO good, but honestly I'll eat anything with strawberries.

Jodi's strawberry rhubarb coffee cake with orange glaze sounded like a good flavor combination. The strawberry rhubarb jam also added some pretty color.

Liam's poached pear coffee cake with white chocolate streusel was not ideal, only because if you were actually serving that to people, not everyone would get pear in their slice. I get what he was going for visually, but just plopping three whole pears into a coffee cake isn't practical for serving (unless it's only for one person and you can eat as much pear as you want!).

Mmm, crème caramel. Wow, there were a lot of people who had problems with this technical. Liam, Nataliia, Jay, Jodi, and Jasmine had some disastrous presentations. Colin was the clear winner. It was unfortunate that Chris got docked for inconsistent baking. Since he put them all in the oven at the same time, took them all out of the oven at the same time, and put them in the freezer at the same time, I don't think it was his fault that a few of them were not perfect looking.

Celebration slab cakes are pretty open for flavors, themes, decorating, etc.

Ha, I had to laugh when Chris said that his cake had four pounds of butter and then Colin said his had nine cups of sugar.

Colin's chocolate tiramisu cake with mascarpone sounded good. I loooooove mascarpone! And he's right - people get so impressed if you say you made an olive oil cake but it's just swapping one ingredient! As good as the flavors sounded, the decoration left something to be desired. Beige frosting on top of chocolate frosting? The jewelry pieces were a bit lackluster too.

Nataliia's spinach mint cake with raspberry mascarpone was very pretty with the ombré colors. I loved that the judges were so into it. I'm so used to Paul Hollywood turning up his nose at unusual ingredients that it's a refreshing surprise to see Bruno and Kyla so enthusiastic about something different.

Chris' chocolate banana cake with black sugar crème pâtissière, coffee buttercream, and sliced bananas looked like it was decorated at a grocery store. I gasped when he said he forgot to add the butter to his batter. At least he realized it sooner rather than later. While part of me appreciates that he used SO much banana for the filling, the other part of me thought man, that is A LOT of banana. I think if maybe he had sliced them a little more thinly, it wouldn't have affected the cake as much.

Jasmine's strawberry moscato cake with strawberry buttercream looked great. And I loved that both of the judges just kept eating it.

Jay's rainbow cake with raspberry whipped cream definitely looked like an old school celebration cake.

Liam's caribou carrot cake with cream cheese filling looked like a mess.

Jodi's vanilla cake with raspberry mascarpone filling was very neat and the writing was perfectly centered. I've seen plenty of professionally made items on Cake Wrecks that can't claim the same.

[vibeology]

I want the show to challenge the contestants more. We already did a cake week and two of the three challenges this week were cake. Cake is the easiest setting.

I did love the way Natalia's cake looked and I'm very curious about the taste. I also always think Liam is going to be in trouble and then he never is. His work looks sloppy but it must taste great to balance everything out.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4 minutes ago, vibeology said:

I also always think Liam is going to be in trouble and then he never is.

I think the same thing almost every week too.

[Florinaldo]

Sorry @JTM I misunderstood your question. Perhaps the origjnal poster will clarify the comment in question.

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It was unfortunate that Chris got docked for inconsistent baking. Since he put them all in the oven at the same time, took them all out of the oven at the same time, and put them in the freezer at the same time, I don't think it was his fault that a few of them were not perfect looking.

His oven may have a cold spot because the heat distribution is not uniform. I wonder if the show calibrates the appliances before the competition to make sure everyone is on the same footing.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S03.E05: Chocolate Week

Quote

It's Chocolate Week and the six remaining bakers seize the opportunity to make a statement with delectable chocolate creations. In the signature bake, the bakers make a treat that is double the fun. One chocolatey success will earn the Star Baker title, and one baker must leave the tent.

Original air date: 10/16/19

[Kohola3]

"Seize the opportunity" - hee!  Somebody is pretty clever with that reference relating to the horrors of working with chocolate.

[Kohola3]

Wait, what?  Since when does making chocolate candies fall under "baking"?

[La Dee Da]

How are their aprons so neat on chocolate week? I would have looked like I went for a swim twice in a chocolate lake. 

I guess the showstopper allows a break from cakes? It did seem a little unambitious - speaking as someone who hasn’t made chocolates, and given the range of techniques in the technical. 

I’m sad for Liam - he seemed like a lot of fun. 

[hula-la]

I love how Liam pronounces “marzipan”.  I’m not a big fan of dark chocolate, but there were a lot of those chocolates that I’d happily try.

[Florinaldo]

I was surprised to see Liam get eliminated since his showstopper looked much better than Nataliia's and apparently was better tasting as well. But that is because I had not seen the outcome of the technical. I had gone out to take the garbage bin to the curb, which normally only takes 2 minutes, but I was waylaid by a neighbour who had some trivial matter he deemed urgent enough to have to talk about it immediately. When I came back they were explaining the third challenge.

And then I went to watch the episode on the CBC site. His Marquise was such a disaster that the outcome was just about unavoidable for him.

Amusing that Colin and Chris were in college together, in the same program even, but then their career paths diverged. A small world indeed. Chris has been the relatively steady and quiet one until now, but he seems ready to emerge as a force to reckon with.

[bybrandy]

I'm way behind on this one as i've just seen the first episode.  This is my first season of Canadian Baking Show and wow, I feel like it is a satandard I could achieve... I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.  But I'm here for it.

I don't have a favorite number.  I mean I could make something up about 15 being my birthday or 2 being my birth month... but.... um.. yeah, it is hardly going to rate up there with this number has cultural significance in my culture.   

My dad's favorite number was 83 (I have no idea) and my intial thought was honoring him but then people would ask why his favorite number was 83 and again, no idea... But if I had to guess I'd say he probably thought it was funny.   

When the people had the strawberries in the cake and the judges were complaining it made the cake harder to roll, I was willing to go along with that.  When they said it made the cake harder to eat?   Well, I mean, if some sliced strawberries make it harder for you to eat cake you should really get better at eating cake.  

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, bybrandy said:

When they said it made the cake harder to eat?   Well, I mean, if some sliced strawberries make it harder for you to eat cake you should really get better at eating cake.  

Hahahaha, no kidding. I could understand if someone just chucked giant whole strawberries in, but sliced strawberries?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S03.E03 recipes

Signature challenge
Colin's chocolate spice povitica

Technical challenge
brioche à tête

Edited October 19, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S03.E04 recipes

Technical challenge
crème caramel

Showstopper challenge
Jasmine's graduation slab cake

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, bybrandy said:

This is my first season of Canadian Baking Show...

Hope you enjoy it as you catch up!  I really like the Canadian version, everyone is so nice, even the judges. Paul Hollywood got on my last nerve in the British version. I also like that they have the names on the aprons so you get to know the bakers right away.

And I agree about the strawberry remark.  Maybe if they were freeze-dried fruits or something.  But sliced strawberries are pretty soft fruit!

I really don't have a favorite at this point, I like them all.  Well, maybe Jodie and Chris (at this point) have my vote but more because of their backgrounds than their baking!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S03.E05 recipes

Signature challenge
Chris' chocolate praline dacquoise sandwich cookies

Technical challenge
marquise au chocolat

[Florinaldo]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I could understand if someone just chucked giant whole strawberries in, but sliced strawberries?

I may depend whether they were sliced against the grain or with the grain...  😉

[rhys]

On 10/16/2019 at 6:40 PM, Kohola3 said:

Wait, what?  Since when does making chocolate candies fall under "baking"?

Thank you. That should fall under candy making in my book.

[Florinaldo]

Don't these "great baking show" franchises often have an episode dedicated to candy or chocolate? It's probably because baking is generally assimilated to desserts (even though they have a few savoury challenges). In real life of course, a chcolatier and a baker are  different crafts, though some people do straddle the gap.

[bybrandy]

Because I am me I remain behind... I have other lovely features...  

Episode 2 (biscuit week?)

I loathe beets.  It is the one food I just can't with.  Bad beet experience as a child which colors my perception but I really have tried them prepared many different ways and I have never gotten closer to liking them.  But still?  That red twisty cracker looked so festive that I was like,, "Maybe I could try using beets to make crackers."   

I made crackers once. They were fine.   i didn't think they were worth the work when I could buy crackers and I don't eat crackers particularly often... but there were like 3 or four crackers that I was like, "hmmm I could try that.."   It was when I went, "Oooh, I could do turkey shaped parsnip crackers for snacks on Thanksgiving that I realized I have a problem.   

I was impressed so many people managed the tempering of the chocolate especially in the less than ideal tent environment.   I thought all of the cookies had a slightly generous proportion of marshmallow cream I'd probably do less as I prefer things less sweet but I've never made marshmallows and I might be willing to give those a go as an excuse.

The showstopper... again?  I could totally be a mid-level contestant on Canadian Baking Show... too bad I'm not Canadian.   I rock at gingerbread structures.     I loved the icing work on the dragon, I enjoyed the mer people.  I liked the idea of the super hero fantasy although not the execution.  My issue really was like my fantasies are really boring and would look boring in cookie form. 

I felt terrible for Mary Lou but agree she was the right ouster.  IT was a disaster but it was the one that made me go.... "Oh, maybe I could make a viking ship out of Gingerbread" why all of a sudden I had this desire?   Have I mentioned I have a problem?

[Kohola3]

10 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Don't these "great baking show" franchises often have an episode dedicated to candy or chocolate? 

Not in my recollection. And I have watched all of the British ones.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I loathe beets.  It is the one food I just can't with.  Bad beet experience as a child which colors my perception but I really have tried them prepared many different ways and I have never gotten closer to liking them.  But still?  That red twisty cracker looked so festive that I was like,, "Maybe I could try using beets to make crackers." 

Beets are a great natural food color so I loved the way that the twisty red crackers looked too!

[Aulty]

19 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Don't these "great baking show" franchises often have an episode dedicated to candy or chocolate?

Baking with chocolate, yes but the only franchise that really does candies and pralines is Bake Off: The Professionals

[bybrandy]

On to episode 3 for me (trying to speed up because chocolate week.  I've mentioned other places but my mom has decided that she's becoming a choclatier in her retirement and she's like, "but they have chocolate week!"   

But for now, bread week!  Which is totally my favorite.

I've made those Brioche Tetes before and I remember doing the ball and it working out really well but I'm not sure off the top of my head I would have remembered how to do it.   So glad I had a mixer when I made it, though.  That dough is a delight to feel when it is all together but when it is in the squishy butter stage?  I am less enthused.  

Signatures - Colin's is the one I'd want to make or the savory one because SAVORY.   I didn't recognize the name of this bread but when we saw the first drawing I was like, "OH that bread!"  I really liked the look of Jasmine's but I was sure that the maraschinos were going to be too sweet.  Those things are fruit looking candy.   I think mixing those with sour cherries though would be great because you'd cut the sweet and keep some of the color.  

I covet Jodi's hair... but I couldn't manage the upkeep as it grew out.   But she was in the weeds from the start with her negative attitude and her bake didn't turn out but apparently she didn't have the flavors right either.  Not going to be a winner.  I doubt Jay will be around much longer either as much as I like him, and I really like him he seems to be consistently not quite doing well enough.   

That crab looked so, so good from Colin happy for him and his win and also because instead of just saying, "Bread is not my thing" he stepped up and baked bread.   

 

[rhys]

I flove bread & honestly wish they would do more. I could do without gingerbread houses & the angst that accompanies them.

[bybrandy]

Episode 4 - old school bakes.

Couldn't figure out what this would be.  Are coffee cakes now verboten?  

On 10/11/2019 at 6:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Jay's Elvis inspired coffee cake with peanut butter bacon streusel definitely looked old school.

Too bad this one didn't work because I could totally be sold on peanut butter bacon streusel.   It wouldn't even be a particularly hard sell. 

 

On 10/11/2019 at 6:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Liam's poached pear coffee cake with white chocolate streusel was not ideal, only because if you were actually serving that to people, not everyone would get pear in their slice. I get what he was going for visually, but just plopping three whole pears into a coffee cake isn't practical for serving (unless it's only for one person and you can eat as much pear as you want!).

I had so many questions about this and really wished Paul Hollywood was judging because he'd ask some of the questions.   Doesn't your pear to cake ratio seem off?  Wouldn't the pears seep moisture into the cake and make them not bake?  Clearly not, I guess.   Would't some pieces be all pear?   Were the pears cored? They must've been cored but the cross section didn't seem cored.   I understand nothing about this cake but they seemed to like it... but no seriously I just want to find somebody who has eaten this cake and ask them questions.

Is cream caramel different from flan?  It looks like flan but looks can be deceiving.    My mom made flan for  some spanish class party.When I was assigned flan for the party they said, "you don't have to make the caramel nobody really understands how the caramel works so nobody makes the caramel" so I brought the recipe home and gave my mom that caveat and she was like, "but the caramel is the point!"  She made the caramel and it came out brilliantly on the second attempt and the teacher was all, "how did you do that?!?!?!"  And I explained and he didn't believe me.    /shrugs.   

 

On 10/11/2019 at 6:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It was unfortunate that Chris got docked for inconsistent baking. Since he put them all in the oven at the same time, took them all out of the oven at the same time, and put them in the freezer at the same time, I don't think it was his fault that a few of them were not perfect looking.

No, but he might have noticed they had different wobbles and taken them out in intervals... and he might have filled them to different levels leading to different cooking/cooling times... or his oven could be wonky... If it is the wonky oven, though, they should get that fixed.
 

On 10/11/2019 at 6:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Nataliia's spinach mint cake with raspberry mascarpone was very pretty with the ombré colors

Like I really wanted them to explain how it tastes (especially since they are putting up so few recipes.  I'm not opposed to it but I didn't feel like they gave me a good hint of why it worked for them.  

On 10/11/2019 at 6:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Jasmine's strawberry moscato cake with strawberry buttercream looked great. And I loved that both of the judges just kept eating it.

It must've been amazing!   I was quite happy for her.
 

On 10/11/2019 at 6:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Liam's caribou carrot cake with cream cheese filling looked like a mess.

I like that he was celebrating the caribou with his cake.  That was so pure.   I suspect he'll be next or soon after but I sort of adore him.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S03.E05 recipes

Signature challenge
Chris' chocolate praline dacquoise sandwich cookies

Technical challenge
marquise au chocolat

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S03.E06: International Week

Quote

This week the remaining five bakers are challenged to explore flavours, textures and techniques from around the world with a series of international favourites. The Signature Bake has the bakers putting their own spin on the popular Latin American treat, while Technical sees them attempt a Scandinavian dessert that's as hard to say as it is to make. One baker proves themselves to be world class, and is named Star Baker, while another must pack their bags and go home. 

Original air date: 10/23/19

Edited October 24, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Chris totally cracked me up when he said the competiton is 62.5% over. And OF COURSE he is one of the only people in the world who enjoyed o chem.

I'm not a huge fan of tres leches cake because my boss used to get them from a bakery down the street at least once a month and they were just too much for me. Maybe I need to try tres leches from somewhere else and I'll like it more?

Jodi's caramel coffee tres leches cake with whipped cream frosting sounded really yummy.

Nataliia's coffee walnut tres leches cake with poppyseeds, cape gooseberries, and cream cheese frosting had just the right amount of decoration to look festive without looking too busy.

Colin's coconut ube tres leches cake sounded good. Mmm, coconut milk. I love the purple and white piping - it looked so bright and fun. I was glad that the judges liked it so much.

Chris' yin and yang tea tres leches cake with black sugar whipped cream and candied kiwi sounded interesting but I wasn't sure how strong the tea flavor would be. I wish that the two colors he used for the yin/yang on top had been a little more different. The very pale tea frosting was so light that at first glance, I thought he had iced the whole cake with one color. When he said he wasn't putting any kind of cream or frosting between the layers, I was worried that the judges might ding him for that, so I was glad that his cake was really moist.

Jasmine's coconut, lime, and rum ponche de creme tres leches cake with lime whipped cream looked a little too simple in design. I'm not saying everything has to be super fancy or over the top, but it looked like she didn't decorate it. But what really got her was the cake being dry. I guess she didn't soak it enough.

I'm 99% sure that the Norwegian kransekake was used as the technical challenge on GBBO in a past season. Congratulations to Jodi for coming in first! If Chris had piped his icing more neatly, he might have edged her out.

Ooh, cheesecake. How adorable that Jasmine makes a little trophy for the star baker!

It always amuses me when the voiceovers say that someone is "staying true to their _____ heritage." You know, as opposed to BETRAYING their ______ heritage and bringing great shame to their entire culture.

Nataliia's zapekanka with pumpkin orange puree, cottage cheese, and dried fruit was very pretty. I liked the sugar bowl she created for the fruit. The marbled effect in pumpkin orange cake looked cool.

Jodi's cassata with rum soaked coconut milk sponge cake, ricotta filling, and marzipan was very colorful. I loved the sugar pineapple so I liked that Nataliia and Kyla both remarked on it.

Colin's cassava and cheddar cheesecake with mascarpone cream, shortbread crust, mango, and cheddar cheese biscuits was not my favorite looking cake, but I could see that he put a lot of effort into creating all the biscuits and decorating them. I love that Bruno said he likes trying new things. Take note, Paul Hollywood!

Jasmine's gave herself a challenge making two different Demeter inspired cheesecakes. But ooh, ricotta and mascarpone? YUM. Both the orange and pistachio one and the fig and honey cheesecake looked way too dark.

Chris' strawberry mojito Japanese souffle cheesecake with ricotta and strawberry bavarian cream wasn't decorated very much, he got that great texture. I was so excited about the strawberry too. I just wish he had spent some of the time when his cake was in the oven creating some kind of decoration to elevate it visually.

This was one of the weeks where it was really obvious who was star baker and who was going home. Jodi had a great week. She did well in all three challenges. And unfortunately, Jasmine did not do well in any of the challenges.

I'm so sad the season is almost over! How will I go from three Bake Off shows per week to zero?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jasmine's I Licked It blog

[Florinaldo]

Jodi's technical must have been a remarkably superior bake to the others because her tower was not very even; at least two rings were out of sequence, stuck between two smaller-diameter ones, and jutted our of the cake (or perhaps it was because some were broken when she assembled it and they moved when she brought it in front). It was not a leaning tower, but definitely a skewed one. She also made the small mistake of putting the cornmeal on top of the rings, whereas the others did it correctly.

Chris was lucky that Jasmine had a bad week because his cheesecake, although very tasty, looked rushed. I did not wish for another overloaded specimen like Jodi and Nataliia came up with, but as Burno said that was not commensurate with all the time they were allotted for the challenge.

Interesting array of flavours this week. Too bad not all of the recipes get posted; I am sure the ones I am most interested in will not be, like Colin's ube cake.

The show should have shown us at least one or two examples of the trophies Jasmine made. Will she keep making them even though she is now gone and bring them to the subsequent winners when she comes back for the finale?

[Aulty]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I'm not a huge fan of tres leches cake because my boss used to get them from a bakery down the street at least once a month and they were just too much for me. Maybe I need to try tres leches from somewhere else and I'll like it more?

I can second that, they are 'too much'.

When my mother makes a cheesecake it is one without a base much like the ones Jasmine made (sans figs) and I have always wondered what kind of comments a cheesecake like that would get on the Bake Off. Good to know that this is close to the original Greek recipe.

Nataliia's looked so good, especially the top layer. I have had russian cheesecake a few times, and they are great. The different milk products produced in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe are the base for some quite interesting bakes and I hope they explore that further in the upcoming series (along with techniques from Asia and other parts of the world).

Skipped the technical because we've already seen that on the British Bake Off.

I just can't with the new presenters. The intro this week was good, but overall the atmosphere is too much forced puns and not empathic and warm enough. I'm sure they are nice and talented people, but they aren't the right fit for this show.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

6 minutes ago, Aulty said:

The different milk products produced in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe are the base for some quite interesting bakes and I hope they explore that further in the upcoming series (along with techniques from Asia and other parts of the world).

I would love to see one of the Bake Off shows have the bakers make the Japanese souffle cheesecake that Chris made. They're really popular and they're challenging enough to make the producers happy with the potential ~drama~ of something going wrong.

[Florinaldo]

Many tre leche recipes go overboard with the milk(s), which results in a very soggy cake. I tend to skip the regular milk and cut the amount of the rest by half.

Nataliia's habit of drawing out every single one of her vowels is almost as irritating as the hosts' attempts at humour.

[Aulty]

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I would love to see one of the Bake Off shows have the bakers make the Japanese souffle cheesecake that Chris made. They're really popular and they're challenging enough to make the producers happy with the potential ~drama~ of something going wrong.

Yeah, given how popular they were with the Insta and Pinterest crowd this past year I really expected them as a technical in the current series of GBBO tbh.

[Tabbygirl521]

On 10/16/2019 at 5:40 PM, Kohola3 said:

Wait, what?  Since when does making chocolate candies fall under "baking"?

I’ve been through a baking program in the US. Chocolate and sugar work were taught in the advanced classes. The idea was that these skills allowed you to enhance the presentation of your bakes. Of course that was with the assumption we all intended to become professional pastry chefs 😃

Edited October 24, 2019 by Tabbygirl521

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E6 recipes

Signature challenge
Jodi's caramel macchiato tres leches cake

Technical challenge
kransekake

[rhys]

Jodi's tres leches cake looked divine& on point. Glad she won star baker. I was a bit concerned that Chris was going to be cut as his cheesecake didn't seem showstoppery enough imo. He was lucky that Jasmine burned hers as hers was decorated & had a story.

[hula-la]

On 10/24/2019 at 6:59 AM, Florinaldo said:

Many tre leche recipes go overboard with the milk(s), which results in a very soggy cake. I tend to skip the regular milk and cut the amount of the rest by half. 

I have never eaten tres leches cakes for that reason. I made one last year for Thanksgiving (a coconut chai version), and probably only used ⅓ of the milk called for in the recipe. Still scared of eating another one due to the potential  sog factor.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E7: Pie Week

Quote

Only four bakers remain in pie week, and they must excel with their pastry skills in three pie challenges to make it to the finale.

First, they showcase their personalities in the Signature Bake. Then, they take on a tricky French Technical. Finally, they tackle a Showstopper that will have them taking their skills to new heights. The judges will select just three bakers to continue to next week's finale.

Original air date: 10/30/19

Edited November 3, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Kohola3]

I hope there are no snotty remarks about "American" pies like we got from that blue-eyed judge in the British version.

[Kohola3]

Oh, dear, poor Chris had three fails in a row.  

I think I am rooting for Jodie to win. I like the other two as well but I think she has been so consistent from the start. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love pies! Fruit pies, meat pies, pies pies pies!

Jodi's blackberry cheesecake bear pie (sorry her black-beary pie) with a butter and lard crust sounded delicious. Blackberry AND cheesecake? Yum! The bear face was great too - not too cartoonish but still cute. The bottom was baked well too.

Poor Chris. Between burning the leaves while blind baking the crust and then having the pie weights spilling everywhere when he tried to remove them, he was already having a bit of a disastrous time pretty early in the day. His bison and cheddar wolf pie with a butter and shortening crust wasn't a complete disaster though. The howling wolf looked okay, but the filling was a little too loose. You don't want want it spilling everywhere when you cut a slice and put it on a plate. But his flavors are always so good which I think saved him.

Colin's Medusa chicken curry pot pie with a butter crust was a mixed bag for me. I liked the idea of the Medusa face, but the execution was a little lacking. It was too simple and if you're going to do something simple, you need to do it perfectly, which he didn't. It also looked too messy and the eyes were not symmetric.

Nataliia's apricot and chili self portrait pie with a butter and cashew crust was gorgeous. I loved how abstract the hair was which gave it a lot of motion. Like Chris, she needed a thicker/more solid filling. I agree with Bruno that if she hadn't cut the apricot pieces so small, it might have held together better.

I wasn't familiar with the technical challenge but I'm not into frangipane. I felt so bad for Jodi when she peeked into the oven and saw all of the jam leaking out, but I did laugh when she said it looked like a crime scene.

Colin's pie tower with bumbleberry pie, pecan and black currant pie, and a peach, blueberry, and ginger looked a little rustic and simple but the pastry trees and animals were cute.

Chris' Alsatian pie tower with a bacon and brussel sprout tarte flambée, two veal and pork en croute, and a tart au fromage blanc didn't really look like a pie tower. I was so disappointed for him. I knew he was in trouble.

Jodi's brunchuppert pie tower with a beef stew and mashed sweet potato pie, a salmon and dill quiche with cream cheese, lemon zest, and micro greens, a bacon and cheddar quiche, and an apple tartlette looked great. I loved the red rose at the top of the apple tart. And the judges liked every pie!

Nataliia's European dinner pie tower with a buckwheat and sauerkraut pirog, a pork and turkey pie, a salmon and broccoli quiche, and a sour cherry tart was a great combination of different colors and textures. The latticework top of the cherry tart was so delicate was a nice contrast with the red of the cherry tomatoes and broccoli peeking out of the top of the salmon quiche and the dark top of the meat pie and the lovely pie top of the pirog. Heh and bonus points for, as Kyla said, being generous with the salmon. It's always disappointing when the star ingredient is a bit skimpy.

I really expected Jodi to win star baker because the judges loved all four of her pies and had no criticism for any of them, but the judges had some issues with Nataliia's (like the meat pie being too lean).

Awww, bon voyage, Chris.

I loved Jodi's phone call to her husband. Between her happy tears and how excited he was, they were both so cute. I loved when he told her, "I knew you could do it!"

Edited October 31, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Florinaldo]

Watching the technical portion of the episode again, it is apparent that Chris erred on the side of caution or restraint for his pithiviers; in order to avoir the risk of the fillings leaking out, he used so little of them that their main purpose was to be absorbed by the dough and colouring it. Hence the sad-looking empty pocket he achieved. Early on, I had pegged him to be in the finals. But then he had several mishaps over the last few episodes. I might have made a similar mistake with the frangipane since I do not like things that are almond flavoured; which means I would probably have put in too much jam to compensate.

I was sure that Colin would be penalised for making his pie tower only with sweet pies and not having at least one savoury version like the others had. But apparently his flavours and results were on point. His Medusa sounded very tasty but the execution of the face was indeed sub-par in contrast to the hair and especially compared to the faces the other bakes made. I sympathise with him since I can't draw even if my life depends on it.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Florinaldo

[rhys]

I expected Jodi to win star baker. So surprised she didn't. Bye, Chris. Damn, you had a rough week.

I like the hosts on Baroness von sketch, but I'm not liking them here. 

[Kohola3]

29 minutes ago, rhys said:

I like the hosts on Baroness von sketch, but I'm not liking them here. 

I don't see any value add to them other than shouting out "bake" and reminding the bakers of the time.  Their interactions with the contestants is pretty minimal. I guess I judge every by Sue and Mel who genuinely seemed to care about the bakers and got to know them and their personalities.

[rhys]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I don't see any value add to them other than shouting out "bake" and reminding the bakers of the time.  Their interactions with the contestants is pretty minimal. I guess I judge every by Sue and Mel who genuinely seemed to care about the bakers and got to know them and their personalities.

Yes, that's a great way to put it. These 2 are just too cheesy & seem disinterested in the food for the most part. I think they like the cheftestants but they could be so very much warmer.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The first holiday baking show will air on November 13

Quote

Four bakers from seasons past return to the Tent for the chance to become the first Holiday Star Baker

Hosts Carolyn Taylor and Aurora Browne welcome four bakers from seasons past to The Great Canadian Baking Show Tent for the chance to become the first Holiday Star Baker. Season 1 bakers, James and Vandana, join Season 2's Megan and Timothy for three yuletide challenges. Judges Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley taste and deliberate each bake to determine the winner.