S03.E09: Patisserie

[Rinaldo]

7 minutes ago, allirish47 said:

Did anybody else hear James (I think it was he) saying that he put 'icing sugar' on top of his mousse to keep it from developing a skin? Is icing sugar the same as powdered sugar?

Yes, James said that -- it was a trick he already knew, not contained in the recipe. And yes, icing sugar is essentially the same as US powdered sugar. I say "essentially," because US powdered sugar adds a tiny amount of cornstarch to prevent clumping, where the European equivalent generally does not. But really, they can be used interchangeably. As to whether that would work on homemade puddings as well, I'll leave that to someone who knows!

[Mindthinkr]

38 minutes ago, allirish47 said:

Did anybody else hear James (I think it was he) saying that he put 'icing sugar' on top of his mousse to keep it from developing a skin? Is icing sugar the same as powdered sugar? Would that work on homemade puddings as well?

I use plastic wrap to prevent my tapiocas or puddings from getting a skin. I make sure to get it directly on the surface without any air between the filling and the film. This works well for me. 

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, carrps said:

The only good ones I've ever had were from Valerie Confections (here in L.A., but they do mail order) -- https://valerieconfections.com/collections/petits-fours. They were absolutely delicious. But they also don't use fondant (blech).  Paul wouldn't like them, though, as they're definitely not one-bite. 

There are tons places that offer great petite four, i was referring specifically to the fondant type that had a moment where it was all anyone served.

[sum]

As for what James and John have been up to since then, James is currently a doctor working in the NHS and John recently has made a career switch*.

Their respective activities are well documented on their own Wikipedia page - ??But don't go there until having watched the final.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Morton_(baker)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Whaite

* Here he explained why - ? Again do NOT open the link, unless you know the final result.
https://twitter.com/John_Whaite/status/1020768438615146497

(Sorry, I don't mean to be teasing. The links are for later use.)

Edited August 13, 2018 by sum

[Mindthinkr]

6 hours ago, sum said:

Sorry, I don't mean to be teasing. The links are for later use.

Thanks. I don’t want to be spoiled so I’m willing to wait. This is such an enjoyable series with the tension being over if a cake will rise versus voices being raised on some housewives show. 

[Adiba]

I do not have a DVR, so I couldn't go back to look--but did Brendan make a puff pastry bottom for his St. Honore gateau? Usually Paul goes on about lamination and such when this pastry is made and I don't recall anyone saying anything.

[hendersonrocks]

While watching this I realized how skewed my reality show perspective has become. As the show went on and it appeared more and more likely Danny would be going home, I kept waiting for some twist because I couldn't imagine producers would let an all-male final happen. (At least that's what my American mind went to.)

It makes me love this show even more (however many years after the fact), because it really DOES seem rooted in the outcome of the bakes and nothing else.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Adiba said:

did Brendan make a puff pastry bottom for his St. Honore gateau?

No, it was cream puff (pâte à choux) dough. Puff pastry would have been absolutely wrong.

[Adiba]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

No, it was cream puff (pâte à choux) dough. Puff pastry would have been absolutely wrong.

Ok—I wasn’t sure what the brief was— but Wikipedia has a puff pastry base with a Choux ring around it and then Choux puffs dipped in caramel on top?

[Athena]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

No, it was cream puff (pâte à choux) dough. Puff pastry would have been absolutely wrong.

 

30 minutes ago, Adiba said:

Ok—I wasn’t sure what the brief was— but Wikipedia has a puff pastry base with a Choux ring around it and then Choux puffs dipped in caramel on top?

Brendan created a rough puff base. See recipe here.

[AllAboutMBTV]

Wily Minx is totally my new band name. There will be a bake sale at intermission (sorry, the interval).

[carrps]

15 hours ago, biakbiak said:

There are tons places that offer great petite four, i was referring specifically to the fondant type that had a moment where it was all anyone served.

Yeah, those are universally awful.

P.S. Meant to add that Valerie's were the only non-fondant ones I've ever liked either. Most are just so ordinary.

Edited August 13, 2018 by carrps

[Barb1959]

I love watching this show.  It has such a soothing effect on me....

[Emkat]

I am so embarrassed to ask this but...is this season really from 2012?! 

Edited August 14, 2018 by Emkat

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I am so embarrassed to ask this but...is this season really from 2012?!

Don't be embarrassed, it's a totally understandable question! PBS has aired seasons out of order in the US, so we're just getting this one now even though it was one of the first to air in the UK. I think it was 2012 or somewhere thereabouts - I'm scared to google anything for fear of being spoiled on the final outcome!

[Emkat]

Thank you!  I did not realize this at all and am feeling very confused now lol!

[Spunkygal]

@Emkat, this link might help a bit:

[magdalene]

I know this show started out modestly on BBC 2 and was moved to BBC 1 when it became a hit with UK viewers.  I can tell how the production values, the clothing and the make-up  the hosts wear have changed and improved after the first couple of UK seasons.  And the baking challenges have obviously gotten more difficult with each new season.  I read, maybe here?, that this currently airing season on PBS with these particular bakers is when GBBO really took off with viewers.

I knew Dany would be going because of the mistakes she made - she is a great baker and a lovely person I enjoyed watching week after week.

I think James deserved being star baker again. Not only is he very skilled and creative, he also has a talent for improvisation under pressure and keeping it together when things don't go his way.

Between the three of them it will come down to who has the best weekend during the finale.  

They can all win this.

[Emkat]

12 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

@Emkat, this link might help a bit:

Thank you so much! That does help!

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 11:27 AM, Winter Rose said:

And using floral flavors seems to backfire more often than they work out

If there's anything I've learned from cooking competition shows, it's that using rose water and truffle oil rarely turns out well.

[Kohola3]

9 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

If there's anything I've learned from cooking competition shows, it's that using rose water and truffle oil rarely turns out well.

And both that male judge and Mary have frequently said that rose water is so tricky.  Of course, with the seasons all mixed up, not sure if the contestants had actually heard that before or not.

[theatremouse]

I don't know why but I was delighted by how frequently they showed James eating his own stuff during this episode. It just amused me.

I know they were all "petit fours are SMALL, SMALL I SAY" and harping on the sizes during this episode, but it landed kind of oddly to me because growing up I frequented a French bakery and their petit fours were always on the bigger end of what you'd expect for that sort of thing. Not big, but not small enough for the standard established in this episode. Like saying the Madeleine was too big? 'meh. I've eaten actual French petit fours from France bigger than that (not by much, but still). I'm side-eyein' the critiques a little.

[Toothbrush]

Next time I eat a baked good, I will pray to St. Honoré that it does not go directly to my waist. We should all celebrate his feast day (May 16th) by eating lots of scrummy bakes. To make up for lost time, I propose we make the 16th of every month an ad hoc St. Honoré feast day. 

That snail was scary! I would raze the yard if I saw that thing slithering around. 

On 8/11/2018 at 12:02 AM, forumfish said:

I noticed the spelling, too. And when they were describing the cake, I laughed and said it sounds like strawberry shortcake, only fancier.

Here is Mary Berry's recipe.

That is exactly what Dr. Toothbrush said! lol

On 8/14/2018 at 1:59 PM, proserpina65 said:

If there's anything I've learned from cooking competition shows, it's that using rose water and truffle oil rarely turns out well.

I learned that about rose water from snark-watching Sandra Lee, but then again, nothing she cooks turns out well. Not even rarely. 

[Kohola3]

5 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

Next time I eat a baked good, I will pray to St. Honoré that it does not go directly to my waist. We should all celebrate his feast day (May 16th) by eating lots of scrummy bakes. To make up for lost time, I propose we make the 16th of every month an ad hoc St. Honoré feast day. 

 

Excellent proposal. I second this and plan on starting next month.  But praying today.

[Me from ME]

Quote

That snail was scary! I would raze the yard if I saw that thing slithering around.

Yep, not a mutant. Although I've usually seen them on stone walls in damp locations. I have heard them referred to as Garden Fish I don't know if they are harvested anymore for consumption.

[LilJen]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 6:51 AM, adhoc said:

I think I counted 3 times where they have Brendan mentioning that he just wanted to get into the final, that was his aim, that was his goal all along, etc.  It just struck me as odd--like, really, he had nothing else to say?  

Yep, I found that curious, too. And like nobody else was in it to get to the final?

I missed the sheep 'baa'-ing but enjoyed the snails and bunnies.

Edited May 13, 2019 by LilJen

[LilJen]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 2:47 PM, AllAboutMBTV said:

Wily Minx is totally my new band name. There will be a bake sale at intermission (sorry, the interval).

I loved John's "wily minx" dig at James. That was hilarious.