GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW- SEASON 11 EPISODE 2- BISCUIT WEEK (spoilers)

Biscuit week,(or cookies as we call them here across the pond in America) was a hectic rush of flour, sugar, caramel, coconut, molds, sculpting and prayers.

11 bakers 3 rounds and what seemed like 9 million cookies.

SIGNATURE BAKE:  This week the signature bake for biscuit week was the Florentine cookie.  The florentine , or lace cookie, is typically made of dried fruits, nuts and combined with a caramel, baked and then typically backed with chocolate or drizzled.  A florentine should be neat, thin and have a nice crispy snap to them. Paul specifically pointed out that he prefers dark chocolate when making florentines because the amount of sugar makes them so sweet you need the bitterness of the dark to mellow it out. 

each backer had to make 36 identical Florentine cookies.

DAVE-  Mango, mixed nuts and sesame seeds with feathered 3 chocolate.  Judges said they were thin, crispy, and the 3 chocolate feathering looked very nice. Good snap, good flavor, just needed more texture.

HERMINE-  Mango and coconut dipped in pink chocolate and airbrushed with trees.  Judges : scruffy looking, needed longer in the oven, some tough texture a little too chewy.

LAURA- Salted Caramel with almonds and raisins, using milk chocolate to coat..  Had never made them before.  Judged as good classic florentine, Paul loved the flavors but would have done dark chocolate over milk chocolate.

LINDA-  making her sisters favorite with ginger, ground her nuts very fine.  Judges said she needed more texture because there was none. But it had good flavor and good snap.

LOTTIE: Quarantine Florentine.  Her grandparents favorite cookie. Her flavors of nuts, ginger and sour cherry earned her high praise and even the Paul Hollywood Handshake! Paul said he couldnt find fault with them. Perfect snap, delicious flavors and very neat.

MAK-  Mango, Cashew and Cumin, decorated with a peacock feather.  Needed Longer in the oven, they were too chewy, they liked the flavors, but it just wasnt a florentine.  His peacock feathers looked more like tennis rackets.

MARC-  Pistachio and ginger with a ruby chocolate, his florentine came out neat and pretty but had no snap. However they were surprisingly delicious with the ruby chocolate.

MARK-  Macadamia and mango topped with white chocolate and cardamom.  He left his macadamia nuts chunkier, was worried to go too small. Judges thought they were too lumpy and needed more fruit. They had a good snap but the white chocolate was too dominating of a flavor.

PETER-  Modeled after his favorite dessert Sticky toffee pudding,  his florentines were filled with nuts and dates . They needed more time in the oven, and the flavors were original and delicious, just no snap.

ROWAN-  Orange, raspberry , cherry and almond, decorated by little waistcoats made from modeling chocolate.  Oh rowan rowan...again too much.  Judges said they were too thick and there was no snap.  good flavor, but again he tried to do too much and he just needs to simplify. 

SURA-  Almond and pistachio with cardamom, saffron and rosewater.   Looks amazing, lots of flavor, well balanced but no snap.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGE-  Set by Prue.    

Each baker had to make 12 coconut macaroons.  6 of the macaroons had to be filled with chocolate and drizzled with chocolate on top, and the other 6 had to have mango curd piped onto it. 

Difficulty was knowing how long to bake. The macaroon needs to be a nice light golden brown and just crunch on the outside, but still be slightly moist and sticky on the inside. They also had to be careful not to overblend their coconut, or to make their curd too runny.

11. ROWAN.  too soft, underbaked and bad piping.

10. PETER-  neat and tidy but underbaked

9.  MARC-  untidy, sizes weren't consistent, and needed a longer bake

8.  LOTTIE-  too small and underbaked

7.  LAURA-  good consistency in sizes, but a little underbaked, too squishy.

6.  SURA-  needed consistency in her sizes, but tasted good

5.  HERMINE-  a little hard but still chewy

4.  LINDA-  overblitzed coconut in her mixture but still good bake and consistency

3.  MAK-  uniform consistency, good flavor, excellent.

2.  MARK-  good caramel color, great job, spot on.

1. DAVE-  Very neat, delicious flavor, really excellent.

SHOWSTOPPER CHALLENGE

 Each baker has to shape and mold cookies to make a 3-D  biscuit tablescape for a memorable meal.  They want delicious cookies that are shaped and highly decorated, tricking the eye.  4 hours to complete the challenge.

DAVE-  Mexican Tablescape with bright colors, intricate bowls and plates.  Judges loved it. Delicious flavor, believeable and wonderfully decorated.

HERMINE-  Sakura tablescape. The molding looked clumsy, but the decoration looked nice. Pau was not convinced on the flavor.

LAURA-  Nan's 80th birthday tea party celebration.  Nice bisuit but the concept was very plain and Paul felt like she could have done a lot more in 4 hours than a cake stand and some teacups.

LINDA-  Tea in Amsterdam.  Using a flakier rosewater shortbread instead of a sturdier cookie. It was extremely pretty, but the dough was overworked.

LOTTIE-  Viking tablescape.  Poor Lottie  had trouble unmolding her viking ship.  They liked her tablescape, Paul thought it was a little too rustic looking, but the gingerbread was good and had a nice flavor.

MAK-  Indian Chai Tea service.  Mak didnt mold his cookies, he did a lot of flat sculpting and building. Judges deemed it clumsy and needing of more care. He did have good flavor though.

MARC-  Basic Breakfast for 1 "toast and tea".  Overall did a great job, judges called it Brilliant.

MARK_ Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony tablescape.  Liked the flavor, but paul said "bit strong innit?" as Prue coughed her way through it.

PETER-  Gingerbread Scottish Haggis.  Looked great, delicious, well baked and tasty.  As always complimented him on originality and cleverness.

ROWAN-  90th birthday Lighthouse and shells breakfast tray.  Again Rowan refused to simplify . His lemon biscuit had a lovely flavor but was overworked. Paul said Rowan could do better.

SURA-  Ramadan Tea set made from Speculoos biscuits.  Great snap, great flavor, but looked rushed, especially the icing.

WHO WAS IN DANGER??  Rowan and Mak.  Rowan wont listen to advice. Mak is steady but clumsy. Rowan has potential if he would listen, Mak is steady but lacks artistry.

WHO WAS IN LINE FOR STAR BAKER?  David, Mark and Marc.  David was 1st in technical, had a good signature and good showstopper.  Mark and Marc both did well on their concepts and flavors. 

STAR BAKER:  Dave

ELIMINATED:  Mak

You can watch a new episode every Friday starting at Midnight on NETFLIX here in the US. 

GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF- SEASON 11, EPISODE 1. CAKE WEEK RECAP ( AND sPOILERS)

 FINALLY!!  I  have been eagerly anticipating the newest season of Great British Bake Off!!

Season 11 will be uploaded one episode at a time every Friday here is the United States , on Netflix.

A few changes have been made to the Bake Off format.  They have pitched their tent in a new location (Down Hall), and each contestant will live 24/7 there in their own little bubble together.  So depending on how far they make it into the competition they could be away from their families for a week or for 7 weeks!!  Thats crazy! 

ROUND 1- SIGNATURE BAKE.  For the  first bake of the new season the bakers were assigned  their take on a Battenberg Cake.   Traditionally Battenberg Cake is rectangular and made from 2 complementary flavors, arranged in a way to reveal a design when cut.  It is then covered in Marzipan (a fondant type covering made from eggs, sugar and ground almonds) and decorated.

Prue declared Battenberg a lovely cake to start with, and is typically a marzipan lovers favorite cake (Hers included)

Paul wanted to see a smooth marzipan, start contrast in color and a punch of good flavors.

Battenberg is difficult to make, it requires a good sponge that isnt overbaked but sturdy enough to hold its shape when  cut and stacked.  Cake cant be too warm or too cold when it is cut either.  So there is a lot to think about when making one!

DAVE-  An Espresso Martini . Chocolate liquer and vodka flavored cakes

HERMINE-  Chocolate and Orange cakes. In her marzipan she used orange marmalade instead of eggs.

LAURA- Raspberry Ripple and Coconut Cake

LINDA- Tribute to her deceased cousin, cake made to look like ambulance.

LOREIA- Bubble Gum and Cream Soda with BRIGHT BLUE marzipan.

LOTTIE- Rhubarb and Custard Cakes, inside is a star shaped pattern.

MAK-  Lots of middle eastern flavors like ginger and orange, covered in a pistachio marzipan instead             of the traditional almond.

MARC- Sour Cherry and Chocolate Walnut Cakes with rosewater Marzipan.

MARK- Turkish Bazaar inspired cake, with orange, pistachio, cardamom and pomegranate flavors.

PETER- Gluten Free dark chocolate and orange cakes with a polka dot marzipan covering.

ROWAN- Mozart inspired Magic Flute BB cake. Dark night sky marzipan covering with an intricate                     temple inspired cake inside.

SURA- Lemon and Orange cakes with traditional marzipan decorated with sculpted marzipan fruits.

________________________________________________________________________________

SO Rowan looks like he bit off more than he could chew. When he took his cakes out and started to cut, a few of them were still almost raw inside, so he resorted to putting them into the microwave to dry them out a little bit.  This means he ran way behind and had to alter his temple design quite a bit.

Sura's cake completely bubbled over in the oven. 

Lotties cakes were so moist she was having issues to keep her star shape looking clean and crisp.

many of the bakers were having issues frosting their layers and keeping them together, rolling their marzipan and wrapping them neatly and cleanly.

ROUND 1 JUDGEMENT:

DAVE- The coffee overpowers and Paul said it just blended the wrong way.

HERMINE- Her marzipan was delicious with the use of marmalade instead of eggs. Judged well and a                     pleasure to eat.

LAURA- No real distinctness in her sponges. Flavors ran together and wasnt real neat.

LINDA- overbaked and dry.

LOREIA- striking color and layers but the flavors were just too intense and overpowering.  Bone Dry                     and too thick marzipan.

LOTTIE- Despite the messy star pattern the colors were wonderful. Her cakes tasted the same but had a                 good sturdy rhubarb jam.

MAC- Pistachio was overdone with the pistachio marzipan. But had a good ginger spice cake.

MARC- The decorations were too busy, and the rosewater marzipan was overdone. 

MARK- Good texture.

ROWAN- Heavy Sponge, too wet.  He had to go with a "deconstructed temple" since he ran out of                         time. But they liked the look of the marzipan covering.

PETER - Very Neat. Lovely Texture. Gluten Free flours tend to make great sponge. Great and Well                         Done.

SURA- Really pretty and neat, good texture and a really lovely piece of cake.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGE: 6 identical Pineapple Upside Down mini cakes.

 Light buttery cakes with a perfect caramel, topped with a pineapple ring, maraschino cherry and whipped cream. 

Get the caramel too dark it can become bitter and can make the sponge too hard to get out of the tin.  Too much caramel the sponge wont rise, too little the sponge wont have flavor.

POOR LINDA... Her syrup was dark, and she put in too much syrup n her tins so her poor little cakes wouldnt rise, then she had to piece them together at the end. 

the last few minutes of the challenge everyone was furiously fanning their bakes with their cookie sheets, pacing and saying things like "oh dear".  Everyone had hot cakes and many had issues with their whipped cream melting and falling off.

POOR MARK!! As sura put her cakes on the table she went to shoo a fly and knocked into Mark, dropping all but 2 of his cakes. WHOOPSIE!!  She felt so bad she was crying.  But they told Paul and Prue what happened so they were able to judge his 2 standing cakes, picking the best one.

JUDGEMENT:

12: Linda (didnt rise, not properly cooked, patchworked together, too much caramel)

11. Marc- (Very dark, stuck in tin and bitter)

10. Loreia (too light)

9. Dave (just OK)

8. Mak (problem with heat. doughy)

7. Mark (over-caramelized but nice height)

6. Laura ( Dark in Places)

5. Hermine (Nice and light. well balanced. good flavor)

4. Lottie ( Neat and uniform)

3. Rowan (Neat, nice color, nice cake)

2. Peter (Good color, good caramel, good piping)

1. Sura (Well balanced, lovely)

SO FAR LOREIA, MARC AND LINDA ARE IN BOTTOM THREE(Per paul and prue)

SHOWSTOPPER CHALLENGE. Cake Bust made to look like their personal celebrity hero.  Needs to be made and sculpted from cake and decorated with a fondant or icing.   Cake needs to be well baked but have good structure to withstand the weight and pressure. Also needs to have good internal structure to hold the cakes up. Prue says too much frosting is a no-no it can make the cake too sweet.

DAVE- Tom DeLonge . Dark chocolate and Mint.

HERMINE- Lupita Nyong'o. Chocolate and Coffee

LAURA- Freddie Mercury.  Lemon and Elderflower

LINDA- Bob Marley. Lemon and Orange

LOREIA- Louise Bennett-Coverley. Chocolate and Chili

LOTTIE- Louis Theroux.  Coconut

MAK- Bill Bryson. Lemon and Madeira

MARC-  David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. Chocolate.

MARK- Charles Darwin. Ginger spice with coconut buttercream

PETER-  Sir Chris Hoy. 

ROWAN-  Marie Antoinette.  Chocolate and cherry with choux buns for hair.

SURA- David Attenborough.  Coconut with raspberry buttercream.

 Poor Rowan. Another overpromise.  Choux buns were a total bust so he had to improvise on her hair.

Lottie made a skull head and then covered it with fondant and sculpted, making a much more realistic looking cake.

Hermine sculpting looks ridiculous, but her fondant work on Lupitas dress is legit.

Freddie Mercury is losing his head and has beaver teeth. Laura is having a hard time keeping his head upright.

David Attenborough fell over, so Sura propped him up on a roll of frosting bags, so it looks like a travel pillow.

JUDGEMENT:

DAVE:  Toothpaste and chemical taste from the mint. "Let yourself down on texture and flavor"

HERMINE: Chocolate cake is amazing, fondat on dress looks real. Face not so much.

LAURA: giggled at poor Freddie's head. But very moist and delicious and Paul loved the flavor.

LINDA:   Delicious, and all the elements of a good sponge. Citrus with lemon curd is delicious.

LOREIA: Doesnt really look like her, and chili is overwhelming the chocolate.

LOTTIE: Recognizable, good flavors but overbaked.

MAK: Lovely flavors but very dry

MARC:  Does NOT look like Ziggy.  Dense and overbaked but great flavor.

MARK: Well baked, well done.

PETER:  excellent. Spot on. great concept, witty and well done.

ROWAN: Pauls advice "Say less, do more" Lovely cherry flavor, tasty cake"

SURA:  Good flavor and texture.

STAR BAKER:   Peter wins star baker this week with a good signature, 2nd in technical and a spot on show stopper.

GOING HOME:   Loreia.  Came down to Overbaking and Overflavoring.  Paul saw a lot of potential in Loreia, but as a judge could get involved and tell her to pull back or watch her stuff. 

Loreia: " I am proud. I did quite well to get here and I stayed true to myself".

Great way to start off season 11!!