The skies were decidedly grim over the tent this week, surely a sign that all was not well on Bake Off after the bingate debacle
If youve missed the melodrama of the past few days, heres the potted version. In the chaos of last weeks showstopper challenge a towering baked Alaska it looked like Diana (right) removed Iains (left) pudding from the freezer and it promptly turned into a puddle. Iain then went into meltdown mode and tipped his sodden mess in the bin. With nothing to taste, the judges felt they had no choice but to send the hot head packing.
Boy did the public disagree. Overnight, the hashtags #BringIainBack and #justiceforiain were filling up our Twitter feed, both demanding Iain be returned to the tent and skewering Diana for her dastardly act of sabotage. Sue Perkins bravely waded into the melee with the tweet, Iains Alaska was out of the freezer for 40 secs. Thats it. No sabotage. 40 secs of normal temp would NOT be enough to reduce it to liquid, which seemed to suggest there was a problem with Iains ice cream and Diana wasnt to blame. After being bombarded with complaints, Ofcom even stated that it wouldnt be investigating the circumstances surrounding bingate.
Unfortunately it then emerged that Diana had quit the Bake Off after a fall left her without her sense of taste and smell. Now its filmed in advance so it cant be a result of bingate, but its certainly uncanny isnt it?
Anyway, the bakers seemed subdued by the news and closed ranks for pie and tart week cue 'ahhh' moments when Nancy borrowed the little blue pencil that lives behind Richards ear and Kate helped a panicking Martha ease a tart from its tin.
Which brings us onto this weeks signature challenge a family-sized custard tart. Perhaps it was the fallout from Dianas departure, but some of the most consistent bakers struggled. Richard two-time star baker made the rooky mistake of filling his pastry case to the brim with custard so it slopped over the sides. Martha showed her age for first time in the competition. Her apricot tart had too much moisture, undercooked pastry and an unconvincing flavour combination. At the end of the day its just a cake competition, but Marthas tears outside the tent (and bingate in the back of our minds) made us wonder whether a 17 year-old is too young to deal with the swings and roundabouts of Bake off.
The technical challenge was a nasty one this week Pauls mini pear pies. Mr Hollywood was looking for was perfectly poached pears wrapped with spirals of rough puff pastry he got a mixed bag at best. Richard made a hash of things for the second time, wrapping the fruit before it was cool which meant things rapidly went pear-shaped. While his naked pears with their sagging pastry were dire enough to secure last place, Marthas were golden brown and had bags of flavour earning her first.
If the bakers can handle baked Alaska in 25°C heat, theres not much more the judges can throw at them. The showstopper certainly tested that theory as the bakers were tasked with making a tiered pie, three layers minimum. After a disappointing tarte au citron in the signature challenge and the simplicity label levelled at his bakes, Norman had to pull up his socks. His trio of pies, a mixture of sweet and savoury and using three different pastries, sounded promisingly complicated. But then Sue tasted some of his lavender-flavoured meringue mixture. Now Ms Perkins will scoff most things, but this meringue was clearly not one of them. Paul had a similar expression (horror) on tasting and Mary said it wasnt a flavour shed ever come across or will again, god willing. It was the savoury pies that really got our tummies rumbling. Marthas Three Little Pigs pies sounded glorious, with one chorizo, one pulled pork and sweet potato and one classic. Unfortunately she had a little problem with leakage as fat dripped onto her work station from her bottom layer, which burnt when she put it back in the oven. Kates pork, rhubarb, prune and apple pies were a triumph, with crisp hot water crust pastry and excellent flavour and texture to her meaty filling. Richard had problems with the frangipane layer of his pear pie, but his steak and ale filling was a stunner.
Onto the judging and with Dianas departure, would a bakers head still be on the chopping block? For her marvellous pork pies and passable pears, Kate was awarded star baker. While Normans soapy meringue and hot mess of a lemon tart meant his pie-in-the-sky baking days were sadly over.
While it was business as usual on the surface, last weeks dramatics certainly loomed large. Bingate proved how much the programme has captivated the nation, but in my opinion we need to let the contestants get on with what they do best and thats bake.
Some delicious pie recipes you're going to love...
Goat's cheese and filo pastry pie
And don't forget to check out our cheat's guide to this week's recipes.
Image: BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon
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