S03.E06: Puddings

[dleighg]

I was so confused by the title of this episode as "puddings." I get the idea that "pudding" is another term for "dessert" in Britain. But Brendan (I think it was) said that for dinner parties, he rarely made puddings; he preferred to make desserts. So ok, they also said that "pudding" was a distinctly British thing, a soft sponge with some kind of accompaniment. Ok fine, I get that. Then the "queen of puddings" technical is back to the more general sense of the term, meaning dessert.

Then what the hell is a savory strudel doing in this?

[Kohola3]

This whole episode was a bit of a head-scratcher. Not much seemed to make sense.

[Mondrianyone]

I had the same injury as John while slicing citrus to decorate a birthday cake for a friend a couple of years ago, and it's almost inconceivable how much a tiny cut at the tip of your finger will bleed.  A Band-Aid didn't stanch the flow, so I also put on a blue glove.  I was working under a deadline, too, so I couldn't stop and couldn't risk getting blood on the icing--wow!  that's a great title for a baking-themed murder mystery!  The glove really does fill with blood.  Seeing him was like living that all over again.  No stitches needed in my case, though.

There isn't a question in my mind that Brendon used that lattice tool.  I have one as well, and the result is exactly what he produced.  You can't get a lattice that perfectly regular doing it by hand, and it would take tons of time.  The tool does it in one easy pass.

[Rinaldo]

Gosh, they don't strike me that way really. Isn't it interesting how impressions differ?

2 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

I think poor SJ is going to have a nervous breakdown!  She's got that pale English Rose complexion and she justs gets soooo red when she's trying not to cry. 

She does get upset, but mostly in the spirit of urging herself to do better. And she has a nice vein of quiet humor (I should say "humour," as it's so very English): saying to the camera with an eye-roll, "Oh, it's not great! I haven't had 'great' in weeks!" And in the whole green-carpet incident, while trying to take the blame, she was laughing almost as much as Cathryn. The thing she does that I wish she wouldn't is confess her shortcomings before the judges say anything, and add on to their negative comments as if to anticipate what they'll say next. More than once, Paul has had to pull her back with an "actually, it's not bad" sort of comment.

2 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

I'm slightly irritated by Brendan.  He just seems so unhappy.  I guess it's the stiff upper lip of the former military man, but he can have some fun too!  Crack a smile once in a while, dude!

I feel like I see Brendan smile a lot. He was joking with Mel in the first episode about his erstwhile prowess at the disco, and he shares in the general amusement when odd things happen. It's true that he's quiet and reserved compared to some of the others, but that's no bad thing. (Perhaps I feel that way because I'm like that too, and it gets misinterpreted on occasion.)

[Mystery]

I like Brendan, but I do see his humor as quiet. I remember early on, someone said something that made him blush and he said he was glad to know that he still *could* blush. 

That reminds me that I thought this last episode was particularly well edited. The judges talked about the jam being difficult, and Brendan noted exactly the same thing. Mel mentioned the women on one side and the men on the other, and then SJ and Cathryn were bonding. Danny was edited to said something, too, right after someone else had brought up the subject. 

I like James, but I think he shouldn't have tried to make what his girlfriend already called something that looked like "a plate of sick" (I assume, vomit). 

[Mabinogia]

4 hours ago, Mystery said:

Mel mentioned the women on one side and the men on the other, and then SJ and Cathryn were bonding.

On a typical American competition show they divide them by sex to watch all hell break out. Here, we get to see a quick comment about it and it isn't really mentioned again. Instead we get to see one lady show another one a tip she just learned. On Master Chef the SJ character would be laughing to the camera about how she has an edge because Paul clearly likes her best since he showed her a trick. And there is no way she's going to give any of the others this insider info. mwahahahaaa.

On GBBO we get the two of them giggling as they smack dough against the table and the dough goes flinging towards another, Danny, who jokes about how lucky she was not to be standing there. What I love about this show is that it is so dramatic. My heart stopped when Danny's little cakes dropped to the ground, or when Catheryn flung her dough across the floor, and don't even get me started on poor John. My heart was breaking for him that he had to stop his bake and go to the hospital, probably thinking at that point that he was out of the competition because of it. That kind of drama has me on the edge of my seat. 

I also love how Mel and Sue drop little hints about who star baker is as opposed to the typical "and the winner is..." long pause, several commercials, come back, another long pause, flashes to each worried face...long pause...name is finally announced but it took so long you forgot who everyone was. 

[rejnel]

Quote

I was so confused by the title of this episode as "puddings." I get the idea that "pudding" is another term for "dessert" in Britain. But Brendan (I think it was) said that for dinner parties, he rarely made puddings; he preferred to make desserts. So ok, they also said that "pudding" was a distinctly British thing, a soft sponge with some kind of accompaniment. Ok fine, I get that. Then the "queen of puddings" technical is back to the more general sense of the term, meaning dessert.

Ditto to all these questions! I thought I knew the taxonomy before this episode!

[skipnjump]

On 7/21/2018 at 5:58 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

Are we sure he didn't also have a band-aid (or "plaster," as the British call them...) on as well? Because that seems really weird just to put a glove on. I think the glove was more meant as a sanitary thing (if he realized he was bleeding somewhat badly and was concerned about not getting it on the pastry) and/ or to help keep the band-aid on if it was in an awkward spot. Yes, maybe he just wasn't thinking clearly, and the way it was said in the episode didn't make it apparent if this was the case, but I'd be really surprised if anyone's first thought, even in a stressful situation, would be to think, "This glove is more effective than a band-aid!"

I thought I heard someone say that he did have a bandaid on but the act of kneading the dough opened the cut back up.  Which does make sense considering how much their hands were working the dough

[dleighg]

9 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

My heart stopped when Danny's little cakes dropped to the ground,

I was watching this at my dad's house (with a bunch of people who are not crazily into cooking shows like this) and we all GASPED in horror! 

[Mabinogia]

10 hours ago, forumfish said:

And didn't John mutter something about how he felt bad that his injury was costing everyone time? It's like his biggest concern was that he had disrupted the competition, not that he might be out. Again, these people are just so darn nice!

Right. He said how he was wasting everyone's time. I wanted to give him a big hug. But I get it. They could stop production but everyone was in the middle of baking and stopping would likely ruin what they were making. I love how concerned they are with each other. Danny helping him, him worrying about wasting everyone's time, Sarah Jane wanting to share the cool new tip she learned. I love these lovely people.

[joanne3482]

On 7/21/2018 at 9:59 AM, Kohola3 said:

But I loved how Danny, the ICU consultant,  immediately left her baking to come and help.

I had originally forgotten that the British call their doctors consultants so I kept wondering why she was helping.  I had to do some rewatching (because I missed the Queen of Pudding twice somehow) and it finally dawned on me.  

[dleighg]

On 7/21/2018 at 6:51 PM, ombelico said:

On 7/21/2018 at 1:15 PM, AZChristian said:

Probably used something like this little plastic utensil.  Costs less than $10 online, but the effect is impressive!!!

I didn't catch if Brendan used such a tool or not, but I would think that if the lattice on his strudel was just the result of using a pattern-producing gadget that's commercially available, the judges wouldn't have praised the effect so much. Anyone can run that thing over a sheet of dough without any skill involved.

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he used.

[meep.meep]

The judges didn't give him any praise for the lattice.  They noted it was there, but the judging was on the rolled pastry and filling, not on the decoration.  Which is odd because normally they criticize anything that isn't decorated.  ("It's very plain")  But he was pretty much the only one who did anything.

[dubbel zout]

4 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

The judges didn't give him any praise for the lattice.

There was no gushing, but I thought either Mary or the male judge (hee) made a note of the extra effort and that it was attractive.

[Mabinogia]

9 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

There was no gushing, but I thought either Mary or the male judge (hee) made a note of the extra effort and that it was attractive.

I mean, even if he used the tool, it was still an extra step that no one else had thought to do, and it was a risk as he could easily have torn the lattice trying to put it on in the time crunch and it did add a nice visual element to the strudel. Most of them looked like various shaped turds so I appreciated the effort to make it look more appetizing.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I had originally forgotten that the British call their doctors consultants so I kept wondering why she was helping.

Until reading this comment I had NO idea she was a doctor; I literally thought she was a consultant who helped hospitals run most efficiently. Ha!

I know Brendan isn't as outwardly gregarious as the others, but the look on his face after hearing he was Star Baker again this week was pure gold. He was so proud and touched, and it warmed my heart. 

I just realized I can watch all the episodes online and am now debating myself as to whether I should stick to the TV schedule or binge away. I am SO tempted to binge, but then it's going to be over and I'm not sure I'm ready for that either. This program is a little ray of sunshine!

[chaifan]

Count me in with everyone else who was confused by the pudding/strudel theme.  And I'm also on board with thinking Paul is a total hypocrite for criticizing the "American Pie" for being too sweet, then watching them make those sickly sweet puddings. 

Re: Paul showing Sarah Jane the kneading technique - I don't think anyone would object to something like this, because while it is a neat little trick, that whole bit probably cost Sarah Jane some precious time.  Also, if he were going to teach that to someone, how about to the guy who was trying to knead with one hand?  John certainly could have used that trick, as it may have saved him from reopening that wound and getting carted off to the hospital.  Catherine throwing the dough on the floor was hilarious.  I probably would have done the same thing trying that technique.  Glad she had time to make another batch sans carpet.  Overall, I was not impressed with the strudels.  I didn't think any of them were showstoppers.

Brendon - I think he looks like a vampire. 

Danny - I love how Mary was all "well, we all make mistakes", and only having 1/2 of her finished puddings really wasn't held against her.

[dleighg]

26 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I mean, even if he used the tool, it was still an extra step that no one else had thought to do, and it was a risk as he could easily have torn the lattice trying to put it on in the time crunch and it did add a nice visual element to the strudel. Most of them looked like various shaped turds so I appreciated the effort to make it look more appetizing.

here are some photos. It looks just like the result of that tool.

[dubbel zout]

27 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Re: Paul showing Sarah Jane the kneading technique - I don't think anyone would object to something like this, because while it is a neat little trick

Yeah, he was showing her a different way to knead, not what kneading is in the first place. I also think that was the male judge's way to show off a bit.

15 minutes ago, dleighg said:

here are some photos.

Also note the bandaged finger. Strudel is apparently a vicious thing to make!

[Mabinogia]

7 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Also note the bandaged finger. Strudel is apparently a vicious thing to make!

They should have titled this ep "Attack of the Strudel: The food that strikes back!"

[Mondrianyone]

On 7/22/2018 at 12:55 PM, Rinaldo said:

Gosh, they don't strike me that way really. Isn't it interesting how impressions differ?

Was this in response to something in my post, @Rinaldo?  If it is, I don't know what the "they" reference is to, so I'm not being rude by not replying, just clueless.  If your post had nothing to do with me, then please ignore this completely.  ;o)

[Adiba]

On 7/21/2018 at 1:43 AM, J-Man said:

Can someone explain what exactly is included in the British meaning of "pudding?" Obviously there are things like custards and steamed puddings, but I don't understand why strudel would be considered a pudding and not a pastry.

Not a Brit, but I understood that puddings can be savory —such as steak and kidney pudding (a favorite of the main character in Rumpole of the Bailey)— but that dish is encased in a suet dough and steamed. Puddings that can now be baked probably were steamed, originally. Sweet desserts can be called puddings generally as well.

However, strudels of the type that were made are pastries. Imo, savory strudels should not have been included at all, because they didn’t meet the criteria of puddings or desserts.

[Jordan Baker]

So now I'll never really know what "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" means. 

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Was this in response to something in my post, @Rinaldo?  If it is, I don't know what the "they" reference is to

It was intended as part of my response to @Red Bridey's impression of two of the bakers (hence "they"). I can see how I made it extra-confusing putting that comment in front of the quotes.

[Mondrianyone]

Got it.  Thanks!  Just wanted to make sure I wasn't ignoring a post directed at me.

[echo.Echo.ECHO]

On 7/21/2018 at 4:33 PM, Eliza422 said:

I’m not sure why this grossed me out so, but seeing Brendan oil and then use his really hairy arms to stretch out the dough was awful .

 

???

I was just coming here to post this. Ewwww. I was wishing he had elbow-length gloves.

[springbarb]

5 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Until reading this comment I had NO idea she was a doctor; I literally thought she was a consultant who helped hospitals run most efficiently. Ha!

Huh, I also was thinking that she was someone who just consulted in the ICU--and had picked up enough from working there to know what to do in that situation. TIL!

[dleighg]

30 minutes ago, springbarb said:

Huh, I also was thinking that she was someone who just consulted in the ICU--and had picked up enough from working there to know what to do in that situation. TIL!

yes I also thought that she was some sort of MBA type ("efficiency expert" or bureaucrat). And now I learned "TIL" :)

[latetotheparty]

In Britain, consultants are what we’d call specialists. Their everyday docs are referred to as GPs, general practitioners. 

[J-Man]

I also learned that they don't use the honorific "Doctor" for surgeons, for some reason. They just use Mr. Or Ms. with their surnames.

[Mystery]

Without the periods, even! Mr or Dr    That's crazy talk! 

[Rinaldo]

6 minutes ago, Mystery said:

Without the periods, even! Mr or Dr    That's crazy talk! 

British usage, in the last half-century or thereabouts, has shifted to be similar to French in the matter of abbreviations (of honorifics, at least): if the abbreviation ends the same as the word it is abbreviating (Mlle, Mr), then it is a contraction or condensation rather than a real abbreviation, and no period (excuse me, "full stop") is needed. Only when the end is chopped off (M. for Monsieur) is the period used.

Which is fine, but it's not better than the American way, it's just different. I've seen British commenters (in other forums) comment on how surprisingly "old-fashioned" American usage is. And as that forum, like this, asked us to remain civil, I didn't say what I thought of his remark.

[Mystery]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

I've seen British commenters (in other forums) comment on how surprisingly "old-fashioned" American usage is. And as that forum, like this, asked us to remain civil, I didn't say what I thought of his remark.

It was Paul Hollywood, right? :-) 

[jumper sage]

3 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

British usage, in the last half-century or thereabouts, has shifted to be similar to French in the matter of abbreviations (of honorifics, at least): if the abbreviation ends the same as the word it is abbreviating (Mlle, Mr), then it is a contraction or condensation rather than a real abbreviation, and no period (excuse me, "full stop") is needed. Only when the end is chopped off (M. for Monsieur) is the period used.

Which is fine, but it's not better than the American way, it's just different. I've seen British commenters (in other forums) comment on how surprisingly "old-fashioned" American usage is. And as that forum, like this, asked us to remain civil, I didn't say what I thought of his remark.

I am going to contact all my old English/grammar teachers and give them what for!

I had to click away at the bloody glove.

I had to look up British puddings and found this link.  

[dubbel zout]

13 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

13 hours ago, Mystery said:

Without the periods, even! Mr or Dr    That's crazy talk! 

British usage, in the last half-century or thereabouts, has shifted to be similar to French in the matter of abbreviations (of honorifics, at least): if the abbreviation ends the same as the word it is abbreviating (Mlle, Mr), then it is a contraction or condensation rather than a real abbreviation, and no period (excuse me, "full stop") is needed. Only when the end is chopped off (M. for Monsieur) is the period used.

Language/word nerd here, so I find this absolutely fascinating! This is a big part of what makes PTV so great.

But don't get me started on how wacky the British use their commas.

[Rinaldo]

6 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

But don't get me started on how wacky the British use their commas.

I know. In the very same business letter with dotless Dr and Mr, I will see a comma after each line of the address, date, and return address. 

[carrps]

I'm really impressed by anyone who makes their own strudel pastry. When I was in high school, a friend of mine was the AFS exchange student, and she went to Germany (well, it was West Germany then). Her exchange mom made strudel, and my friend "helped." Mostly she took pictures, and I was really impressed. There was a largish  table in the kitchen (maybe 3' x 6'), and the dough was stretched to cover the table top. 

I'd never do that. Entirely too much work.

Loved  Loved LOVED the flung dough. So funny.

[theatremouse]

On 7/23/2018 at 11:23 AM, dubbel zout said:

There was no gushing, but I thought either Mary or the male judge (hee) made a note of the extra effort and that it was attractive.

Paul said "I like the lattice work on top." That was it during the judging. Mel called it "cracking" in her announce of his Star Baker, but that was in a list of other stuff he did.

[iggysaurus]

On 7/22/2018 at 7:32 AM, dleighg said:

I was so confused by the title of this episode as "puddings." I get the idea that "pudding" is another term for "dessert" in Britain. But Brendan (I think it was) said that for dinner parties, he rarely made puddings; he preferred to make desserts.

Not to mention, "Desserts" was a whole different theme in episode 4! So if they have both "pudding week" and "dessert week" then they must not be interchangeable terms. Maybe they're used interchangeably in popular/casual usage, but technically puddings are a specific type of sweet item under the broader category of desserts???

On 7/22/2018 at 11:44 AM, forumfish said:

Brendan isn't my favorite, he comes across a bit prissy and know-it-all-ish. Some comment he made about having more experience (translated: age) than the others, it gave me a "what do these kids know?" vibe.

I liked Brendan a lot at first, but started to get this vibe from him after a few episodes as well.  He seems ultra-competitive, and not as good-natured about it as the rest of them when he doesn't do well. But I still don't dislike him or anything - he's just not quite as fun as the others. 

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, iggysaurus said:

...he's just not quite as fun as the others. 

I think he has a sense of humor but seems very focused and doesn't let other things distract him which makes him seem more stand-offish.

[illdoc]

2 hours ago, iggysaurus said:

"dessert week

I think when they do "dessert week", they are much fancier desserts (such as Charlotte Russe, Spanish Windtorte, etc). Whereas "puddings" are much simpler. Don't ask me where "patisserie week" fits in.

[amass]

To further muddy the “pudding” waters - I’m Jewish and what we call pudding (kugel) is a side dish and is cooked to a solid consistency... usually savory (potato, broccoli, spinach, etc.) but sometimes sweet (apple, noodle, etc) ( though noodle could be savory as well lol)

[PeaceLily2]

On 7/21/2018 at 4:33 PM, Eliza422 said:

I’m not sure why this grossed me out so, but seeing Brendan oil and then use his really hairy arms to stretch out the dough was awful .

 

???

Lord have mercy, me too!  I could not have eaten it.  

[Brookside]

On 7/29/2018 at 5:42 PM, amass said:

To further muddy the “pudding” waters - I’m Jewish and what we call pudding (kugel) is a side dish and is cooked to a solid consistency... usually savory (potato, broccoli, spinach, etc.) but sometimes sweet (apple, noodle, etc) ( though noodle could be savory as well lol)

And to muddy even more - as a Northerner my family never called the course after the main "dessert", it was always pudding.

Also, I have met posh Brits who called pudding/dessert "the sweet".

More muddying, outside of the dessert context, a sweet is candy, but never chocolate.

[blueray]

I liked how the girls were having fun in this episode, I felt like at this point this was only in the later episodes. I loved "I can't serve Mary Berry, green carpet". 

As for John, I figured that they would do that as it was done in later seasons. I wonder if this was the first time someone didn't finish for any reason.