The Great British Bake Off: Dessert

October 5, 2016 6:18 PM - Season 7, Episode 7

Week seven of The Great British Bake Off is Dessert Week - three sweet challenges which will mean a bitter end for one of the six remaining bakers as they battle for a place in the quarter-final.

For starters the bakers face a sweetly filled signature challenge that has them rolling out their skills to impress Mary and Paul.

And if that wasn't enough, the technical challenge is one of the toughest of the series so far, which layers on the pressure as the bakers are tested on a tricky French dessert.
Sue heads to Paris for a lesson on the history of praline and nibbles on a few of these nutty delicacies.

And finally there is a multi-bake mini-showstopper that is a bit of a mousse marathon. But which of the bakers will impress Mary and Paul enough to earn their place in the quarter-final, and which baker will be hanging up their apron and heading home?

description via bbc iplayer

posted by everybody had matching towels (8 comments total)

"The curse has come upon me," cried the Lady of Shallot.

Seriously, aside from Andrew last week, who def thought he was for it, it seems like every episode this season the baker who has been eliminated has been like, "oh, yeah, I knew it was going to be me, did you see everyone else's bakes?"

Poor Tom seemed to feel like he was swimming against the tide the moment he started his showstopper. Handled it well, in that respect.

As for the rest, aside from Benjamina, I can't tell who will make the final this go round. Candice and Selassi at their best I think have been better than Andrew --- more creative --- but he's much more consistent.
posted by Diablevert at 8:01 PM on October 5, 2016 [3 favorites]

Andrewwwwww! So many Andrew feels this week (and every week, to be honest).

I'm going to miss Sue and Mel so much. They're so casual and clever and kind. ::sobs::

The Selasi/Benjamina friendship gives me all the life. Her tasting his curd was the cutest.

If wanting Paul Hollywood to say, "You're always in trouble," to me in that particular tone of voice is wrong, then I don't want to be right.

Tom seemed so defeated throughout this episode. It often seems that the fatigue of keeping up the mental game throughout the course of a competitive reality show is what does in otherwise strong competitors.
posted by merriment at 8:07 PM on October 5, 2016 [4 favorites]

Tom only made it this far because there was always someone who did worse. It's really no surprise he's out, and I don't think it's too difficult to guess who'll be out next week.

I don't quite know why I'm surprised to learn pralines are made with almonds over there, but that just feels wrong to me. Pecans or gtfo.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:48 PM on October 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

I think Tom's problem was that he was much more a savories type baker. Every sweet round seemed to throw him for a bit of a loop.

Also, I have nowhere else to put this, but I made a fougasse last weekend because of this show. It was delicious.
posted by cobaltnine at 6:58 PM on October 6, 2016 [4 favorites]

Oh god, that meringue gateau technical challenge thing. I want to eat it all.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:41 AM on October 7, 2016

Tom seemed to take a really out there approach too many challenges such as making little mousse sandwiches instead of the dainty little pastries others were making. Sometimes I felt that he felt compelled to use flavors that the judges might be unfamiliar with. And he often went for strange textural choices, such as putting shortbread inside his roulade. Didn't he do something like that before and get dinged for dryness?
posted by peacheater at 5:44 AM on October 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I feel badly for Tom because he went out on a Hipster Picnic. How he is going to live that down?!??
posted by iamkimiam at 4:18 PM on October 7, 2016 [3 favorites]

Congrats cobaltnine on your fougasse.

Poor Tom and his sad hipster sandwiches.

I loved the interaction between Benjamina and Selassi.
posted by Julnyes at 11:27 AM on October 10, 2016