S09.E09: Semi-Final

[Athena]

Quote

The remaining bakers are just three patisserie challenges away from the biggest day in their baking lives. But the heat is really on now from Signature to Showstopper.

[Occasional Hope]

I thought madeleines were almond flavoured.

 

They all struggled a bit this week.

[dippydee]

Aww, I’m sad to see Briony go. She was one of my favs but I think she was just trying to do too much at the end there.

Rahuls downward spiral continues. It could easily have been him going home this week. He seemed to flop on all three bakes, the only thing that seems to have saved him is his apparently amazing tasting mille feuille. 

Yay for Ruby getting star baker again. She’s been peaking at the right time. She’s always been my favourite in personality but I’m happy to see her baking is getting better and better too. The strawberry mint mille feuille sound absolutely delicious and she was the by far the best on the technical.

Edited October 23, 2018 by dippydee

[3 is enough]

I noticed Briony wearing a shirt with a French phrase and Eiffel Tower earrings , and Kim-Joy wearing macaron earrings.  A nod to Manon?  Not sure about Ruby and Rahul- maybe the stripes were considered French?

[Lois Sandborne]

And they continue the tradition of showing Kim Joy chowing down on her bakes after judging.  She's really grown on me; I guess if I'm rooting for anybody next week, it's her.

Pretty rough week for everyone, clearly.  That seven layer whatever it was in the technical was interesting.  It seemed rather newfangled too; a bit different from the days of Victoria sandwiches and brandy snaps in the first few seasons.

I'll miss Briony.  I smiled when she was talking about still loving baking.  Would've rather had her there than Rahul at this point.

Good for Ruby coming alive at just the right time.  I didn't like the look of her St. Honore cakes, but they sounded very good.

I felt for Manon being cut just before patisserie week.  And I felt for Rahul when he was mumbling trying to get Noel of all people to understand what a pastry brush is, and then Paul dinged him for not glazing his fruit, but I think I saw him still fiddling with his technical while he was bringing it to the table.

Did anyone have a successful madeleine?

[dippydee]

2 hours ago, Lois Sandborne said:

for Manon being cut just before patisserie week. 

I felt especially bad for her since Rahul had such a mare this week, he was so miserable. At least Manon would have had fun as they wouldn’t have been able to ding her for her bakes being too French for once ;)

I missed the start of the episode last night but having seen it I just have to laugh at everyone talking about stress and pressure except Ruby who was just excited to make it this far.

Edited October 24, 2018 by dippydee

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The final four! Oh, Paul, you and your "I'm so worried" crap. If you didn't want the bakers to use baking powder to help their madeleines rise, you should have given them more than 90 minutes for the signature challenge so that they could achieve a proper bump without extra help.

It looked like Ruby put too much batter into her tins, which is why they baked up outside of the molds and she had to cut the edges off. Paul also said they looked fried because she put too much butter on the inside of her trays. They also looked like they didn't have enough of a bump and the lines were not very distinct. Her lemon and raspberry madeleines with white chocolate sounded good but they didn't look great. Her orange ginger madeleines with chocolate and coconut looked messier which I blame on the coconut.

Rahul started out by telling the judges he knew that his raspberry lemon madeleines with white chocolate wouldn't have the requisite bump because the raspberries give out a lot of liquid. They were noticeably less bumped than his orange curd madeleines with hazelnuts. I agreed that the lines in the madeleines were distinct and I liked the feathered chocolate lines.

Briony's cocktail theme was fun and I loved the martini glasses she served them in. I wish she ahd decorated them better though. Her espresso martini madeleines with dark chocolate and coffee beans had barely any chocolate dip so if I had seen only one, I would have thought maybe she dropped the tip of it into something. Her mojito madeleines with rum, lime zest, and mint tea sounded good but again the decorating was too plain, especially considering that they were told that they had to decorate them well. They also looked a little too brown.

Kim-Joy's ginger and lemon madeleines with pistachios were so cute, like little Easter eggs. Her orange bunny madeleines were plainer than I expected from Kim-Joy.

I don't think I've ever had torta setteveli but I'd be willing to eat something with chocolate cake, hazelnut bavoir, praline base, and chocolate mousse. It seemed like everyone struggled with the technical challenge. I'm glad that Kim-Joy didn't give up. When she began crying about how she didn't know how to make a mousse, I thought girl, just make it without the mousse! And somehow she ended up coming in second place so points for persistence. Ruby's was far and away the best looking so I'm glad it tasted as good as it looked. I hate to see Rahul fail because he's already so down on himself even when he does well, but his was pretty bad.

Ooh, Parisian pâtisserie displays! It was pastry week on the Great Canadian Baking Show last week so the bakers had to make three different types of breakfast pastry for their showstopper challenge, with the instructions that they should be good enough to be seen in a Parisian bakery, so I feel like I'm getting the dessert version of that challenge from GBBO!

Briony's coffee and walnut mille feuille with coffee crème pâtissière looked almost flat compared to Ruby's crazy tall mille feuille. She knew that her pastry wasn't baked properly too. Her black forest gateau inspired tartlet with cherry mousse and chocolate domes looked delicious but I agreed with the judges about how thick her pastry was. I could see that from a distance Her lemon and raspberry éclairs were SO red! It's too bad that she didn't have time to fill them.

Everything that Rahul made looked really messy. His lemon and blueberry mille feuille were uneven. His caramel éclairs each looked sloppy in a different way. I could tell even from a distance that he didn't temper his chocolate properly because the stripe of chocolate on top of each éclair was very dull without any shine, and he just slopped caramel everywhere. His glazed fruit tarts with crème diplomat looked the best of the three but they didn't all have the same fruit decorations. They all had the lovely circles of strawberries with a blackberry in the middle, but only two of them had a ring of blueberries between the two strawberry circles. The other eight had no blueberries at all.

Ruby's strawberry and mint mille feuille with chantilly cream were really tall which would make it difficult to eat. On top of that, they all looked wonky and wobbly because she stood whole strawberries up on each layer. She should have used slices so that the layers would all be even and not so tall. Her chocolate and hazelnut St. Honorés with orange sweetbread looked very blah because they were so monochromatic with the orange and brown colors.. Her lemon verbena tartlets with swiss meringue were the prettiest of the three. Loved the white flowers with one delicate blue flower and bright red raspberries on top of each.

I always expect really beautiful decorations from Kim-Joy and this time everything she did looked fine but plain. Her religieuses with orange crème diplomat looked fine. I agreed with Prue that she filled the choux buns very well, which I love. I hate getting something like that and finding it half empty. Give me filling! Prue loved her mango and passionfruit tarts with french meringue and said the pastry was lovely. Her lemon and blueberry mille feuille looked nice and Prue loved the flavors.

I knew that Ruby would win star baker because she was the only one who didn't have major problems in the showstopper. I would have been fine with Rahul being eliminated because he didn't do great this week. If Briony hadn't accidentally used salt instead of sugar, she might have edged him out. I will miss her positive attitude, especially since she was the sunniest of the four bakers left.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes:

Signature challenge - madeleines
Rahul's chocolate dipped orange madeleines
Briony's espresso martini madeleines

 

Technical challenge
Prue's torta setteveli

Showstopper challenge -
Ruby's summer mille feuille
Kim-Joy’s choux au craquelin religieuse with orange crème diplomat


 

[Danny Franks]

So I'm half expecting Rahul to spontaneously combust in a combination of terror and premature shame, in the final. Watching him is not enjoyable, and no matter how good he was in the first half of the season, he's incredibly lucky to be in the final. I'd much rather he'd gone than Briony, but this time, it was clear she performed just a little worse.

And yeah, as soon as Sandi said the person being sent home had been "a complete force of nature" everyone knew it wasn't Rahul.

Ruby is still the best. She wears her emotions almost as openly as Nadiya did, and you can see she's actually enjoying herself, even while worrying that she's cocking things up. I got the feeling, quite early on, that she'd go a long way in the show. She seemed to handle the pressure much better than anyone else. No crying, no panicking, just the odd exclamation of how annoying something is. Now I can only hope she wins, though I suspect she won't.

Noel still seems very taken with her too. The schoolboy 'trying to annoy you into liking me' flirting is amusing. As are his interactions with everyone else. He's just so good at pulling smiles out of people, without seeming to distract them.

I have to say the the idea of making things harder by simply asking them to do more seems a little flawed. If you push it too far, it ends up being a test of mass production, rather than of baking talent. And I think the results would probably be better if they were asked to really master one bake.

I like it when Paul is constructive in his criticism, like he was with Kim-Joy's showstopper. Actually giving baking advice that he'd obviously wanted to give when first hearing what bakers were planning to make. He was pretty harsh on Rahul, but I imagine it's because this is another case of 'I expected better from you', and Paul doesn't really know how to deal with a man who is as fragile as Rahul.

But I think I've had enough of hearing Prue say "not your best". Especially if they've just got done saying 'these taste great, but they're a bit messy'. That's not constructive, Prue. Worse, it's banal.

[jpgr]

14 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I noticed Briony wearing a shirt with a French phrase and Eiffel Tower earrings , and Kim-Joy wearing macaron earrings.  A nod to Manon?  Not sure about Ruby and Rahul- maybe the stripes were considered French?

Kim-Joy's earrings have matched her bakes for weeks, either animals or food related to the challenges.

Briony definitely wore the earrings and shirt for Manon, she confirmed it on her Instagram. 

[Athena]

Oh Madeleines! I have two madeleine trays but I don't make them enough. 

On 10/23/2018 at 5:08 PM, Occasional Hope said:

I thought madeleines were almond flavoured.

Almond is a traditional flavour but so is lemon.

10 hours ago, Lois Sandborne said:

Did anyone have a successful madeleine?

Rahul's non-raspberry one was good. It had the hump and good flavour. The raspberry one had issues though.

8 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The final four! Oh, Paul, you and your "I'm so worried" crap. If you didn't want the bakers to use baking powder to help their madeleines rise, you should have given them more than 90 minutes for the signature challenge so that they could achieve a proper bump without extra help.

A madeleine is made from a genoise sponge so they didn't need the baking powder if they whipped enough air in it. It takes take a lot beating which is one of the reasons I don't make madeleines often. I don't think they needed the baking powder but a little of it does help. Rahul seemed like he used less baking powder which is why his were a tad smaller than the others, but it was still well done.

Noel is a treasure. When Kim-Joy was upset during the technical, he really encouraged her. He was also very attentive to Rahul and Briony. 

6 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

But I think I've had enough of hearing Prue say "not your best". Especially if they've just got done saying 'these taste great, but they're a bit messy'. That's not constructive, Prue. Worse, it's banal.

What was really irritating about her saying this to Briony who clearly had a bad bake day and mixed her salt and sugar. it seemed unnecessarily condescending because Briony should "done better and not a made a mistake". Mistakes happen. 

Sad about Briony. I'm glad Ruby is still in it. She's really become much more consistent and she has been getting a bit of a Nadiya edit. However, it still remains to be seen on what happens on the last day. It does feel like Rahul plateaued two weeks ago and has been flailing since. If he manages to calm himself down, I could see it. I do prefer to watch Kim Joy and Ruby though; they are a lot less Eeyore when baking. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

While googling, I found this Guardian article: How to make the perfect madeleines

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Briony's exit interview

[GaT]

I can't believe Briony mixed up salt & sugar. What a shame.

On 10/23/2018 at 2:08 PM, Occasional Hope said:

I thought madeleines were almond flavoured.

Me to, I thought they were all overdone, I prefer my madeleines plain. 

Rahul always looks like he's about to burst out crying.

[krankydoodle]

I didn't notice Rahul continuing to work on his technical challenge bake after time was called, but apparently plenty of other people did: (**FYI: article includes spoiler for winner**) This Great British Baking Show Scandal Is Tearing England Apart

Edited November 18, 2018 by krankydoodle
added spoiler warning

[ElectricBoogaloo]

28 minutes ago, krankydoodle said:

I didn't notice Rahul continuing to work on his technical challenge bake after time was called, but apparently plenty of other people did: This Great British Baking Show Scandal Is Tearing England Apart

Other shows are a lot more serious about absolutely no more work being done after time has called. I remember on Top Chef, everyone would put their hands up in the air to show that they weren't doing any work after time was called. GBBO has always been much less strict about it. I know a few times in past seasons, if one of the hosts saw a baker still fussing with their creation after time was called, they would call the baker out by name and say something in a joking tone to get them to stop. I also remember the hosts doing the 10 second countdown and then slowing down to give a struggling baker a miniscule amount of time (like all of two seconds) to get their bake onto the the board or whatever. I honestly don't pay that much attention to what everyone is doing when time is called so it's entirely possible that Rahul is not the most egregious example but he was definitely still doing stuff at his work bench while Ruby and Kim-Joy were already walking up. No one's ever been disqualified or penalized for working after time has been called though so while I understand people getting annoyed about it, there wouldn't have been any consequences even if the judges had known.

[Mabinogia]

A few extra seconds doesn't bother me that much. I think the fact that there is no big cash prize, and they are trying for a more friendly competition, not a cut throat showdown, I would rather overlook it than get caught up in a few seconds. I do have to admit, though, that if were someone I hated that got caught I'd probably be a bit more in a tizzy about it. lol 

[Quilt Fairy]

Just a note if you're trying to watch the season in order, that link to the "scandal" contains a spoiler on the winner. 

[krankydoodle]

18 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Just a note if you're trying to watch the season in order, that link to the "scandal" contains a spoiler on the winner. 

Sorry about that! I watched everything in one go so the reveal didn't really register, but I've added a spoiler warning to the post.

[heavysnaxx]

On 11/16/2018 at 6:02 AM, krankydoodle said:

I didn't notice Rahul continuing to work on his technical challenge bake after time was called, but apparently plenty of other people did: (**FYI: article includes spoiler for winner**) This Great British Baking Show Scandal Is Tearing England Apart

Oh I saw it.

After Rahul's TH mid-episode where he grumps that something bad always follows something good, I washed my hands of him. He's exhausting.

When he popped a few more decorations on his technical challenge cake, it really pissed me off because, despite his I'm-such-a-failure mopiness, it smacked of someone who thinks the rules don't apply to him. An odd mix of inferiority and arrogance. 

[Dots And Stripes]

On 10/24/2018 at 7:37 PM, Athena said:

What was really irritating about her saying this to Briony who clearly had a bad bake day and mixed her salt and sugar. it seemed unnecessarily condescending because Briony should "done better and not a made a mistake". Mistakes happen. 

Yes! These bakers do not need Prue to remind them they messed-up. Look at any of baker's faces and you can tell they are already heartbroken. It's fine for her to say it's too salty, but she doesn't need to follow that up by letting Briony know she blew it. It's not like Briony didn't try her hardest. 

[Rinaldo]

15 hours ago, heavysnaxx said:

When he popped a few more decorations on his technical challenge cake, it really pissed me off because, despite his I'm-such-a-failure mopiness, it smacked of someone who thinks the rules don't apply to him.

The bakers do this all the time, in every season -- it earns nothing worse than a "stop" from the hosts. (And that's assuming the editing is being honest about the timing -- it isn't always.)

[MisterGlass]

I've noticed the baker tweaking things after time in a lot of episodes.  They also don't seem to strict about having everything actually plated when time is called.  It seems like they are allowed to move anything that's complete onto the dish after time.

It did feel like there were some overly harsh comments in this episode.  I don't know if they are making people cry more or are just showing more crying, but I'm not a fan of running people down like this.  It's why I don't watch a lot of other competition shows.

[Mabinogia]

59 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

It did feel like there were some overly harsh comments in this episode.  I don't know if they are making people cry more or are just showing more crying, but I'm not a fan of running people down like this.  It's why I don't watch a lot of other competition shows.

Yes. One of the biggest things that set this show apart from other reality competition shows was that it always seemed to focus more on the positive. Yes, there were one or two times we saw someone cry, but it was few and far between and was very rarely dwelt on. 

I have felt the change this season. I didn't feel it as much in the first season with the new network, but this season felt ever so slightly more like a typical reality show and less like a fun little weekend in the country. The saving grace was that this group were wonderful and really seemed to get along and support one another. But I can't help but feel this season was more edited for drama than previous seasons. I hope they get some negative feedback about it so they can correct it quickly and not lose the magic that is this show. 

[Iseut]

I don't think I've ever had torta setteveli but I'd be willing to eat something with chocolate cake, hazelnut bavoir, praline base, and chocolate mousse.

Yeah, of all the desserts on all the GBBOs I've seen (the most recent 3 seasons), this is the one I keep thinking about. Mmmm....chocolate, hazelnut, creamy, crunchy, smooth...it ticks all my boxes, as they say!

I'm glad Kim-Joy rallied from her little meltdown and at least got a bit of mousse on there. I'm sure they're all completely exhausted at this point, but I'd hate to see anyone give up.

[AmandaPanda]

I definitely think Rahul would have gone home this week if it weren't for Briony's salt/sugar mix-up. 

The technical this week looked amazing and I would like it in my mouth right now, please. 

[kittykat]

When I first saw the technical I thought it was an entremet but then I thought they wouldn't have done that again so soon and not enough mousse.  That torta looked fabulous.

It must be tough for everyone in the tent to fight the humidity when Rahul walks around all day with a stormy cloud over his head. 

I'm glad Ruby is peaking now, I know I said I didn't see her in the final a few eps ago but considered my words eaten.  Pretty much knew Briony was toast after the salt snafu.  Still she had an amazing run.

I did like Kim-Joy's comment about being happy for Ruby because it meant everyone going in the final had two Star Baker wins.  Even in the home stretch everyone is just lovely.

[Adiba]

On 11/15/2018 at 2:49 AM, GaT said:

I can't believe Briony mixed up salt & sugar. What a shame.

Me to, I thought they were all overdone, I prefer my madeleines plain. 

Rahul always looks like he's about to burst out crying.

To me, Rahul always looks like he's smelled something foul. I'll trust the judges when they said his mille feuille tasted amazing, but he seemed to have struggled again this week.

[meep.meep]

I don't think I've ever seen a madeleine with any kind of glaze.  And they are usually plain, perhaps a little citrus flavor.  So, not a big fan of the signature.  It's like the time on another season where they had to make bagels, and half of them had to be sweet.  The definition of the challenge goes against the essence of what they are creating.  If a plain madeleine is good enough for Marcel Proust, it should be good enough for GBBO!

Kim-Joy seems to be toning back her clown makeup.

I keep wanting to slap Rahul upside the head, and tell him, a la Mel, to "get a ruddy grip!"

[stillshimpy]

Jeez, show, way to lose the plot.  People aren't watching this for Top Chef style smackdowns "not your best" was unnecessary as hell and it is not actually the first time Prue was unnecessarily snide to Briony.  Yes, Prue, she knew.  The whole world knew.  Maybe Briony used the flippin' salt instead of sugar so that you'd have less of the substance to rub in her wounds.   The tone of the criticism was just not warranted.  

It is not a test of someone's baking skill to give them inadequate time to prepare something, it's a test of their organizational skills which are key to baking professionally, but despite Paul's "It's the semi-finals!  You have to bake like professional bakers!"  Dude, no.  This shows charm lies in watching people who are amateurs stretch themselves and achieve, not rubbing their noses in the gap between a professionally trained pastry chef and their own efforts.  

Fairly joyless affair that, and another week where tears were found in abundance.  I think Paul just needs someone who is innately kind to balance out the fact that he is, quite simply, not.   

Briony was a lot of fun, she handled her own implosion with such good nature and grace, then I felt like heaving a vat of icing at Prue for her unnecessarily shaming remarks.  

I also agree that watching Rahoul can be sort of stressful.  He's like a bunch of negative emotion emojis brought to life in a lot of instances.  Dude, I'm sorry the world feels like that to you, sincerely.  Find a therapist.  The baking occupational therapy has helped the man discover a deep well of talent, but his emotional interior seems a wreck.  I feel for him but he makes my blood pressure rise because he looks so uncomfortable, he almost seems to be in physical pain.  Nice dude, talented man, but I brace myself for whatever raw nerve energy is going to be coming off of him whenever the camera cuts to him. 

Ruby is awesome, Kim-Joy had her existential dilemma and talked herself 'round it admirably. 

I miss when this show was a refuge of kindness though.  Paul and Prue are far too prone to being jerks and they seem to feed off of each other.   

Edited December 31, 2018 by stillshimpy

[MisterGlass]

3 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

Fairly joyless affair that, and another week where tears were found in abundance.  I think Paul just needs someone who is innately kind to balance out the fact that he is, quite simply, not. 

I just finished watching the GBBO "Beginnings" season that was posted to Netflix.  It was shown in the UK in 2012.  The difference was striking coming off this season.  If at all possible, Mary found something nice to say to the bakers in addition to her critique.  Mel and Sue were funny but supportive.  They made a real effort to calm down people who were freaking out.  I noticed at one point Mel interjected in the signature judging to say something kind when Paul was being a bit harsh.

Edited December 31, 2018 by MisterGlass
Spelling

[Crs97]

Just getting to this on Netflix.  Has Sandi ever cried like that when announcing who is going home and had the person console her?  Briony is a delight, and Pru can shut up.  I liked that Paul so quickly agreed with Sandi during deliberations that Briony just mixed up the sugar and salt in the rush.  Simple mistake with terrible consequences, but can happen to anyone, rather than Peru’s insinuating Briony chokes. 
 

Rahul is Eeyore.  I was heartbroken for him at first, but his comments and his working after time called (has happened on more than one occasion) are also making me less sympathetic over time.

[ombre]

I adore this show and have appreciated it like a friend during this stupid year.  But wowser was this ep hard to stomach, along with the previous one (Danish Week).  I can't help but feel like Paul and Prue got pissed that Dan and Jon went home on "dumb" weeks and dealt with it by actively abusing those who outlasted them.  Hey Paul, if you want to have a tizzy about professionalism, take a look in the mirror.

I very nearly stopped watching after Mel, Sue, and Mary Berry kicked over the traces.  I wasn't crazy for the new presenters and actively disliked Prue almost as much as I dislike Paul.  I only kept going because I watched a few of the holiday specials and *gloried* in watching how the returning bakers took the piss out of Paul, and from there found myself growing fond of Noel and Sandi.  But I'd heard that the judges do gradually become... awful.  It might be tame in comparison with other cooking shows but... this isn't other cooking shows.