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The.Great.Canadian.Baking.Show.(2025).S09E06.Pastry.Week
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00:01Well, now's as good a time as any.
00:05Oh, what's up, Anne?
00:07Alan, I have something to ask you.
00:08Coulda wait, I just found out the centipedes
00:10actually don't have a hundred legs.
00:11I can't wait for millipedes.
00:13We've been co-hosts for a couple of years now,
00:16and Alan, you're the greatest partner a gal could ask for.
00:19Uh-huh.
00:20And there's one thing we need to do
00:21to take our relationship to the next level.
00:23Uh-oh.
00:25Alan, Shane, Jennifer Lewis,
00:27will you share this pastry with me?
00:29Thank God.
00:31Of course, a thousand times yes.
00:32Yay!
00:33Wait, Alan, I said share.
00:35But yours is mine, mine is yours.
00:36Ugh, why are you like this?
00:38Do you have any more?
00:39No.
00:40Last time...
00:42Battle to the medals, let's go.
00:44The bakers got indulgent.
00:46Little bit of sparkle.
00:47I love it, honestly.
00:48It's my personality.
00:49After a rough start...
00:51Oh, my God.
00:52Margaret came back to win her first star.
00:55Take two.
00:56What a recovery.
00:59Shocked.
01:00And it was Dominic...
01:01Double star baker, and then this.
01:02...who said a tearful goodbye.
01:04It's quite the family that we've created.
01:06I'm gonna miss them.
01:08Now...
01:09Not running, not running.
01:10It's pastry week.
01:11I'm praying to the pastry gods.
01:13As the bakers kick off the party...
01:15...with the celebratory signature...
01:17Ooh, happy birthday to us all.
01:19Yeah.
01:20...get spun with the confusing technical...
01:22Brain farts.
01:23Oh, it's so hard.
01:25...and tackle a sky-high showstopper.
01:27Gotta have your coffee before you come in here.
01:29Oh, my God.
01:30You live live on the edge when you make pastry.
01:33I'm still here.
01:34We're such a teeny group now.
01:35I know.
01:36It feels weird.
01:37This is wild.
01:48It's the quarter finals.
01:50There's only a few balls.
01:52I'm still here.
01:58I know.
01:59This feels weird.
02:00This is wild.
02:01It's the quarter finals...
02:04This is wild.
02:05It's the quarterfinals.
02:06There's only five of us left.
02:08And I need to stay here as long as possible.
02:11It's pastry weekend.
02:12I'm scared.
02:14It was so good.
02:14It was actually so good.
02:16I was star baker last week, and I've been baking pastry for, like, over 40 years.
02:21But here in the tent, anything can happen.
02:26Oh, no.
02:29I think I got it.
02:30I think I got it.
02:34Good morning, bakers, and welcome back to the tent for an old fave, Pastry Week.
02:39Did you know that there are some people who just don't like cake?
02:43Sacre bleu.
02:44What do they do for their birthdays?
02:46Our signature challenge, birthday pies, because pie lovers deserve happiness, too.
02:52Bakers, today you will make a beautifully decorated birthday pie that is colorful, fun, and festive.
02:58It can be designed for a specific person in your life or even an imaginary friend.
03:02Bakers, you have two hours and 15 minutes on the clock, on your marks.
03:07Get set.
03:08Happy birthday.
03:13It's the quarterfinals.
03:14It's the playoffs.
03:15So, let's go.
03:17It's pastry week, and I'm praying to the pastry gods today.
03:20Please, please.
03:22We're making the best things to possibly make with pastry.
03:24We're making pie, and from the north of England, this is what we're known for.
03:28Pies are very intricate, complicated, and difficult to make.
03:33You might watch your grandma making one with ease and love and a big smile, but believe me,
03:37there have been years of baking, burning, and you name it.
03:41So, a good pie is not easy.
03:43Do you think you're a pie guy?
03:45Nope.
03:45Okay, bye.
03:49We want the bakers to really amp up a traditional pie, to really brighten up the pie and make
03:55it worthy of a birthday celebration.
03:58I've made pies for birthdays before.
04:00Anyone who doesn't like sweet, make them a fancy, savory pie.
04:04This pie will be for my sister, Carmen.
04:06Best sister in the world, but also only sister.
04:08That's why.
04:09She's got no competition.
04:10So, making a s'mores pie for my dad.
04:13Woo, happy birthday to us all.
04:16No.
04:16Okay.
04:17The birthday party begins with the quest for a perfect flaky pie crust.
04:21It's got to be quite crumbly, so barely holding together, definitely not too wet.
04:26My secret is a really light touch.
04:28You still want to see little bits of butter when you're rolling it out.
04:31It's looking good so far.
04:33Margaret's birthday pie will feature decorative candles and a rich lemon and coconut filling.
04:38To celebrate her pie-making hero, her mother-in-law.
04:42She'd make seven or ten pies a week, so every pan in the house was used.
04:45It's a lot of pie.
04:46I feel like every window sill will be covered.
04:48But they didn't stay there long.
04:49They were devoured very quickly by the family.
04:51Yeah.
04:53Now it's going to the freezer.
04:55Chilling crusts don't mean the bakers are done with dough.
04:58Making some flours out of my extra pie crust.
05:02Instead of a top crust, it'll just be an assortment of lemons and leaves.
05:07I enjoy playing with pastry.
05:12All the intricate faffing.
05:15Oh, you're on the pretty part.
05:17Yes, ma'am.
05:18It's a pastry garden.
05:21Ryan's pastry garden will bloom atop his blackberry pear pie and celebrate the 85th birthday of Grandma Sharon.
05:29Has there ever been a moment where you guys competed for baked goods?
05:32I can never be Grandma, you know?
05:34She's amazing.
05:35She's good.
05:36Well, we'll see how amazing and good you are, too.
05:38I hope so.
05:41So now I'm going to partially bake my bottom crust.
05:44Please, pie, don't behave today.
05:47Blind baking ensures the crust is cooked through before adding the filling.
05:51Okay, I don't want any raw pastry today.
05:55So how do we know when it's fully baked?
05:57You look...
05:58That is a dangerous game.
05:59I know, you live live on the edge when you make pastry.
06:03Moving on to cutting up my fruits.
06:05Blackberry pear filling.
06:07It's going to taste great, it's going to look great.
06:09This is the lemon for the lemon pie.
06:11It's mostly lemon zest.
06:13I'm just a fruit cutting machine.
06:14Jennifer will be cutting lots of strawberries for her pie, which will feature a festive birthday
06:21hat and a cream infused with jasmine tea.
06:24I'm going to put it into my mascarpone to make my filling.
06:27Oh, it smells so good.
06:28It's just like summer.
06:29I love it.
06:30What flavors do we exactly have here?
06:31We have actually cheese, onion.
06:32So it's the cheese and onion time, and then I'm...
06:35Your eyes are watering now from the onions.
06:37I'm making you cry.
06:38A little bit.
06:38This is so beautiful.
06:40Ooh.
06:41Get up.
06:44That's better.
06:44Okay.
06:45What's next?
06:46I'm working on my cookie butter layer, which involves cooking down some cookies.
06:50It's going to be a rich, rich pie.
06:54Zoe's rich birthday pie will be decorated with graham cracker cookies and filled with three
06:59decadent layers that will need perfect timing to pull off.
07:03My filling is completely chilled, but to get clean layers, I'm going to have to time it right
07:07so I can chill and harden every layer as I go.
07:10So it's a very technical recipe.
07:12Exactly.
07:13Exactly.
07:13Bakers, you are halfway through the bake.
07:17Oh my God, time is flying.
07:20Pie crust is coming out.
07:24Don't you dare move.
07:27That is so pretty.
07:29Most of the bakers put their crusts back in the oven to crisp.
07:33I want to make sure it's perfectly cooked.
07:34Just be nice, please.
07:35But two bakers are baking their pies, fillings and all.
07:43Baking my pie as one, which I don't know if any of the other bakers are doing, because
07:47it's not maybe the best idea in a short amount of time.
07:50Going all out, Joe will be making her humble, savory pie, fancy, with caviar and an intricate
07:59lattice top.
08:00Okay.
08:01Okay.
08:02Okay.
08:03Pie.
08:04There we go.
08:05It's in.
08:06While the pies cook, the bakers are getting ready for the party.
08:09We're making a birthday hat out of ice and malt.
08:10This is for my sister.
08:11When I don't see my sister, we miss each other.
08:12But when we are together, we annoy the heck out of each other.
08:13Now I'm baking birthday candles made out of pastry.
08:14They're just kind of decorative, but fun.
08:16I'm sipping yolks for the caviar Écoutchima.
08:41Isn't that cool?
08:42I'm making my isomalt flour.
08:45How hot is that?
08:46I'm running out of time.
08:4930 minutes, bakers.
08:50You have 30 minutes.
08:52I went in at 120.
08:53It's been in at 50.
08:54I give it another five to seven.
08:58Marshmallow looks good, at least.
09:00I'm scared that I won't have enough time to chill each layer.
09:04It's really hard to see through these doors.
09:06Intuition, tell me when to open the door.
09:10Nope.
09:13I'm happier then.
09:14Now it just needs to cool down.
09:15What do I do?
09:16What do I do?
09:16What do I do?
09:18I want to mash my face in this pie.
09:22Now I'd like it to cool so I can make it pretty.
09:24Bakers, you have 10 minutes left.
09:26It's not 10 minutes.
09:27Is that really?
09:28Time goes differently in the tent, I swear.
09:32Oh my god, it's still fluid in the middle.
09:35I don't know why it's taking so long.
09:38I'm going to put ice on my pie.
09:41Sometimes crazy works.
09:42At least my filling can be hot.
09:45Hustle in.
09:46We are in the final countdown here.
09:48It's coming out.
09:50Where's my other mitten?
09:52Thank you for your service, Ice.
09:56Okay.
09:57I have just enough time to be able to be precise.
10:01Gotta move fast.
10:03Okay.
10:04It came out, yay!
10:07Fits perfectly.
10:08Such a heavy pan, ow.
10:12It's a nice little decor, you know?
10:14Green tea, beer jelly.
10:15The good thing about sugar is when it falls off, you just melt it and throw it back on.
10:20Okay.
10:21Chaos.
10:22Chaos.
10:23Oh my god, it's still runny inside.
10:27Ahhhh.
10:28Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!
10:38You're done, bakers!
10:39Hands off your birthday pies!
10:41Excellent work!
10:43Let the festivities begin!
10:47It's runny.
10:48It's like liquid inside.
10:52It's time to see whose birthday pie will be cause for celebration.
10:59Happy birthday to you!
11:04Woo!
11:05How fun!
11:09Your marshmallow is just glistening.
11:12It also looks like a pillow you just want to jump into.
11:14Oh!
11:15Oh!
11:16Oh!
11:17There we go.
11:18We can see the beautiful layers here.
11:20But it's not quite baked through here on the bottom.
11:23Beautiful combination, chocolate, raspberry.
11:27Very innovative to use a cookie butter.
11:30You need texture.
11:31And the marshmallow slaps.
11:32Like it's so good.
11:37Wow.
11:37That looks stunning.
11:39There's a famous artist who does this style of work in glass.
11:43What a beautiful representation in sugar.
11:49Mm.
11:49Holds well.
11:52The pie, though, could have been cooked a bit longer,
11:54but the star here is the filling.
11:57How well-cooked the strawberry is made.
12:00The jasmine green tea and beer jelly is remarkable.
12:04And the mascarpone cheese.
12:06It's like you're having your tea and your dessert all at once.
12:08My birthday is coming up soon.
12:10And that's what I want, something like this, you know?
12:16Ryan, what a striking-looking pie.
12:20I'm so drawn to this detail of your isomalt flower.
12:24And I love the idea of adding a plaque to a birthday pie.
12:26If grandma was here, you could present the plaque right to her on her plate.
12:30Yeah.
12:31Oh.
12:32Yeah.
12:33Look at that.
12:34Mm.
12:35So beautiful.
12:36Yeah.
12:37Nice, solid sound of a well-structured pie.
12:40I love that this has so much texture.
12:43The pear still have a little crunch.
12:45It goes so well with the motionness of the blackberry.
12:48It's a very delicious pie.
12:53Margaret has such a beautiful, classy, retro look.
12:57A lot of details.
12:58You've cut the little veins in every single one of these.
13:01Maybe we need to give less time?
13:03No, please no.
13:08So close.
13:09That centre tip isn't quite baked through.
13:12Yeah.
13:13I put a pan underneath, and I don't do that at home.
13:16The effect might have been insulating it rather than heating it.
13:22Ooh, you got that nice thing on the lemon.
13:24Mm-hmm.
13:25And I love that the coconut actually almost brings more of a textural element.
13:29This is a great pie dough recipe.
13:32Just too bad it's not cooked enough.
13:37Wow, wow, wow.
13:40That's a celebration.
13:43You did a beautiful work on the breading.
13:45And the colors and the textures, like, each one is so appetizing.
13:50It's holding so well.
13:54Baked perfectly.
13:55Thank goodness.
14:01It's delicious.
14:02That saltiness from the caviar, that's enhancing the cheese.
14:06And that crust, I mean, that you could eat on its own.
14:09Let me try again.
14:11This is a great birthday pie.
14:13Yeah.
14:14Cake, get out of here.
14:16Oh, my God, I'm on cloud nine right now.
14:19I think that that's the most they've enjoyed anything that I've made.
14:22I'm so happy.
14:24On to the big bad technical, scary.
14:26Pastry week technical is not going to be an easy one, I know that for sure.
14:29That's fine.
14:40Bakers, welcome to the technical.
14:42I personally love this challenge because it's a secret that I'm in on.
14:48Judges, any juicy hints for this bake?
14:50You have only one shot to cross the line.
14:53Ooh.
14:54All right, judges.
14:55Bye.
14:56Bye.
14:57Bye.
14:58Bye.
14:59Bakers, your technical challenge today brings us to Egypt for a Lenza.
15:04The Lenza is a hybrid dessert with a cake-like batter that's pressed into a tart pan and then
15:09filled with a milk pudding, the makhalabiya.
15:11It is then piped with a crosshatch pattern and then decorated with candied cherries and pistachios.
15:17Bakers, you only have two hours and 15 minutes on your marks.
15:21Get set.
15:22Bake.
15:23It is an Egyptian Lenza.
15:28I have never seen it.
15:33I will today.
15:34A Lenza is...
15:35Interesting.
15:36Do you know what you're making?
15:37No.
15:38Bruno, I thought I would bring something surprising to Pastry Week, an Egyptian Lenza.
15:47Looks like a tart, but actually it's this cake-like batter that you press inside the shell and
15:55then you pipe the design on top.
15:57It looks delicious.
15:59We have this beautiful makhalabiya custard and then we've added pomegranate jam, which
16:05is something special for the tent because it's a popular Egyptian fruit.
16:09They'll need to make sure that it's firmly set.
16:11If it's too runny, it will start to bleed into the makhalabiya itself.
16:16There is a lot of decor to make here.
16:18And so many complex elements.
16:22I love that very unique texture of the crust.
16:25Very buttery, very moist in the inside.
16:28There is a lot to do here.
16:30So this is a perfect taste for Pastry Week.
16:33Absolutely.
16:37Lots of moving parts today.
16:39I started treating the technical as a cooking class.
16:42Free cooking class.
16:43Who wouldn't love that, you know?
16:44I'm working on the coconut batter crust.
16:48I've never made a pastry like this before.
16:50It's a very heavy batter.
16:52It's more of a paste.
16:54I got no idea about this dough.
16:55Very curious on how this is all gonna come together.
16:57It looks good.
16:58It smells good.
16:59Mm-hmm.
17:00Strap in.
17:01Enjoy the show.
17:02I will strap in.
17:03Okay.
17:05I'm working on making the jam right now.
17:09Oh, my God.
17:10He gave us the pomegranates.
17:12I hate doing this.
17:15I've never opened the pomegranate before.
17:17Yeah, neither have I.
17:18I buy them pre-deseeded.
17:20My mom does it for me.
17:24Ah!
17:25Four cups of pomegranate arils.
17:26Oh, my gosh.
17:28I'm like, why is she slapping back there?
17:31Margaret.
17:32I'm getting out my frustrations from this morning.
17:35Oh, yeah.
17:36I'm just getting soaked.
17:38I'm gonna need the dry cleaners after this one.
17:40Bring to boil over medium heat.
17:42Summer until they're soft and the water has cooked out.
17:47Are these tender?
17:49Ah.
17:50Pastore, if you know.
17:51Food mill.
17:52What's a food mill?
17:54Mills the food, you know?
17:56It's self-explanatory.
17:59Juice in the pomegranates.
18:01So trad wife today.
18:02I'm just milling my fresh fruit from my jam.
18:06I've never used this archaic device before.
18:09Look at me, the stone ages.
18:11The bakers will need to split their focus.
18:14I'm working on my Mahalabiya custard.
18:16Milk and skim milk powder, and I'm all over the place right now.
18:21Mahalabiya, I know what it is from my time living in the Middle East,
18:24but I've never made it.
18:25We've tasted it before.
18:26Tasted it, yeah.
18:27Okay, so we're gonna retroactively recreate it in our brains
18:29to make sure we do the proper one here.
18:31Yes, that's what we're gonna do.
18:34I brought it to a boil.
18:35I'm gonna let it cook for like one minute,
18:37make sure the flour taste is cooked out of it.
18:39Good for the guns, this business of baking.
18:42At least one of them.
18:44They both thicken at the same time, which is great,
18:45because I have two hands, so, you know,
18:47I can do both at the same time.
18:50I have my custard, I got my jam here.
18:51I'm gonna throw in the fridge and move it on.
18:55And did you know the Egyptians were the first people to measure time by hours?
19:00Oh, so it's thanks to them that we know we have one hour left, bakers!
19:05Not running, not running, fast walk.
19:07Let's make my tart, back to my tart.
19:09The bakers need to get their Lenza assembled fast,
19:12so they can start baking.
19:13That's beautiful.
19:15Filling my tart with the pomegranate jam.
19:18My jam's looking good, it's nice and firm, so it won't slide around.
19:22Whip the custard and pipe it onto the jam.
19:31It's not set.
19:32This is my new patented technique.
19:34Pipe the reserve crust batter over the Mahalamiya
19:36in a lattice pattern, five strips per direction.
19:39But I don't know.
19:40Oh, it's so hard.
19:42I should be able to do this, but you know, brain farts.
19:45I'm gonna start here and go.
19:48You only get one chance to cross the line, eh, she says.
19:51Oh!
19:52Making perfect diamonds.
19:54Oh, not the best, but it's not the worst.
19:56Takes precise, accurate piping.
20:01Ah, that is not even.
20:05Coming in the oven.
20:08Good night.
20:09Hi, baby.
20:11Tarts in the oven.
20:13Moving on, moving on.
20:14All this decoration.
20:15Oh, my gosh.
20:16This entire page was decoration.
20:19So, good luck.
20:23This is so complicated.
20:24Why?
20:25Why, why, why, why, why, why?
20:26The bakers will be making candied cherries.
20:29Ah, okay.
20:30Ground and chopped pistachios.
20:33Pomegranate caviar.
20:34Cookie.
20:36And sugar coils.
20:37I have no idea what I am doing.
20:41I need four brains to do the technicals.
20:45The honey syrup.
20:46And you get the next thing started.
20:48It's all multitasking.
20:49You've got to be one step ahead all the time.
20:52I forgot what this timer is for.
20:53Anyways.
20:57When that goes off, I hope you check everything at your station.
21:00Okay.
21:01Let it come out.
21:03Oh, shoot.
21:05Yeah, okay.
21:06Cotter, just in time.
21:08Bakers, you're down to your last ten minutes.
21:11That's not hot.
21:13I do not want to move this at all.
21:14It's gonna break.
21:16Ah!
21:17It's freaking stressful.
21:18Ha, ha, ha.
21:23Ha, ha, ha.
21:24Caviar to the two diamonds to the left and two diamonds to the right of the ground pistachios topped with cherries.
21:30What?
21:31So hard.
21:32Reading comprehension.
21:34Which is above and below and which is left and right?
21:37Driving a crane is way easier than this.
21:39I don't even know where my diamonds are.
21:43I would love to see a picture of what this is supposed to look like.
21:45Bakers, you have one minute left.
21:51I don't know if I'm going to get the metal off the bottom.
21:54I don't want to damage my tart, so I'm just going to put these on the way they are.
21:58I definitely did this wrong, but...
22:01Five, four, three, two, one.
22:06You're done, Bakers!
22:07Great job!
22:12My diamonds are wonky.
22:13Me too!
22:14Me too!
22:15No one's shining bright like a diamond today.
22:18Please bring your lenses up to the Gingham Malter and place them behind your photos.
22:23The judges are looking for a buttery lensa crust filled with delicious layers and topped with an intricate design.
22:31Let's go to baker number one.
22:33Right away we can see that pomegranate jam has seeped through and it's actually forming a border all around.
22:39And we're missing the chopped pistachio.
22:43The crust looks a little bit dark on top, but the sides look like they're fairly even.
22:50The crust has a beautiful flavour. It's very buttery.
22:52And on the inside, the mukhalabiya has a very nice, smooth, milky texture, the flavour is balanced.
23:01Moving to baker number two.
23:03Very clean decorations.
23:05But it's not quite in the pattern we were asking for.
23:09It seems like we have the base of the tart pan here.
23:14It's such an important step to remove it because that's what really shows us the confidence you have in your dessert.
23:20Beautiful job in the custard. It's very smooth, cooked properly.
23:26Jam has a nice tang to it, but you can see the bottom hasn't cooked very much.
23:32All right, moving to baker number three.
23:35Quite a nice coloration and beautiful presentation.
23:41The dough is cooked nicely. It holds. Very buttery.
23:44I think that custard is a little bit dense, so I think it was overcooked.
23:49The jam is starting to weep out a little, so it could do with more cooking time.
23:54Moving to baker number four.
23:57The piping on the top, there is different size of boxes.
24:01But you can definitely see they've got the components here.
24:05A nice, clean milk custard filling there.
24:08Looks like it might need a little more baking time on the bottom of that pastry.
24:12Borderline.
24:16The cream has a nice flavor to it.
24:18And the jam is nicely set.
24:21And finally, to our last baker, right away we can see four beautiful sugar curls.
24:28And their cross-hatching pattern, it looks like it's done fairly uniformly and nice shaped diamonds.
24:37Well, that's a really nice custard.
24:39Jam has a beautiful texture, great flavor, nice tang.
24:43The crust is nice and buttery.
24:45Bruno and Kyla will now rank the lensa from bottom to top.
24:50In fifth place, whose is this?
24:54Margaret, your lensa needed a fair bit more baking.
24:57In fourth place, Zoe, the jam didn't set, but lovely flavors.
25:06Okay.
25:08In third place, whose is this?
25:10Joe, beautiful presentation.
25:12Your fillings needed a little work.
25:14In second place, Jennifer, with a little bit more baking, it would have been excellent.
25:24And in first place,
25:27Ryan!
25:31Finally, first in the technical, let's go.
25:33Guess I'm a good pastry baker.
25:35What do I say?
25:38People have great weeks and then they have a bad one after, but it ain't over till it's over, right?
25:42So, pastry week is very difficult.
25:44Yes, these are great bakers, and pastry is a good test.
25:48So, who so far is passing the test?
25:50Joe is somebody who has just consistently shown us that she is a really skilled baker, and I think in pastry she's doing the same.
25:55And Jennifer has this ability to create something out of the box that's very interesting and exciting.
26:00And Ryan is having an amazing week.
26:02He won the technical.
26:04And he's pushing and challenging himself, and we just love seeing that.
26:06So, who are the bakers that are the bakers that are the best?
26:09So, pastry week is very difficult.
26:11Yes, these are great bakers, and pastry is a good test.
26:13So, who so far is passing the test?
26:15Joe is somebody who's just consistently shown us that she is a really skilled baker, and I think in pastry she's doing the same.
26:20And Jennifer has this ability to create something out of the box that's very interesting and exciting.
26:25There's a lot of people that need to study a little bit more.
26:26Zoe is an amazing baker, but she'd sometimes struggle in the technical.
26:31For Margaret, she has so much experience, but sometimes she might get a little flustered.
26:36Today we need her to bring all that knowledge and skill forward.
26:40Bakers, welcome to your showstopper challenge.
26:43The final bake before we move on to the semi-finals.
26:47Today you will make the iconic French pastry, Mille Foy.
26:51But a family size, so we all get a piece.
26:53Known by many names, the Mille Foy is a flaky puff pastry layered with yummy cream.
26:59You have four hours on the clock. On your mark.
27:02Get set, bake!
27:08It's showstopper day, and I'm coming in hopefully with a bang.
27:12Or out.
27:13Everything is going to go great. Like that's me telling myself.
27:17Mille Foy is my language. I probably took my first baby steps with a Mille Foy in my mouth.
27:23It's just basically a puff pastry cake.
27:26Making puff dough, it's time consuming, it's very technical, and even today after 40 years of practice, I'm still nervous when I make puff dough.
27:35It's going to be a lot in four hours. It's pedal to the metal.
27:39It's a great opportunity for the bakers to really personalize what they're doing.
27:44They need to create something that is so over the top, we never forget it.
27:48So I'm going to have my Mille Foy layout vertically. It's basically like a deconstructed black forest cake.
27:54Mine has some trifle inspiration. This is a gravity-defying Mille Foy.
28:00If you could take a guess what shape.
28:03It's a heart!
28:04We're going to try. We're going to try.
28:07Ryan's heart-shaped Mille Foy will burst with the flavors of passion fruit, chocolate, and basil.
28:14Who are the hearts for?
28:15While the cameras are here, I'm going to say my wife.
28:18You got to.
28:20Or my love of baking in this super hot, humid tent.
28:23I love puff pastry, and it's so much fun to make when you have all the time in the world.
28:28Puff pastry takes a long time to make.
28:31I'm doing a rough puff, so I'm starting with grated butter.
28:34Grating the butter gets it into the dough fast.
28:36So the bakers need to figure out how they're going to do it.
28:39It's hard doing a full puff in a short amount of time.
28:41I'm not using any of the shortcuts.
28:44I'm kind of doing like a full puff, except my butter is soft.
28:47I feel like Bruno would be like, about my soft butter hack, so I'm not telling anyone.
28:53Butter blocks going in.
28:54It's probably crazy to do a full puff, but that's the way I'm used to doing it.
28:58Oh, well, got to add some challenge, right?
29:01Margaret's challenging full puff will combine milk chocolate and pistachio in honor of a trip she took with her husband.
29:08We were in Sicily, and they have amazing pistachios there.
29:13It's kind of become our little happy place.
29:15And does making puff pastry bring back the same kind of memories, like Italy?
29:18Not at all.
29:20It's kind of this fear.
29:23Let's do the same thing again.
29:24I quickly lose count, so I don't know.
29:29Working up a little heat over here.
29:32Need to fold at least six times, and I've got two doughs, so that's like 12 trips to the freezer.
29:39Well, you're supposed to chill the dough in the refrigerator for usually an hour to three hours, but I say you get 10 minutes in the freezer and that's all you get.
29:46So in the tent, that's how it works.
29:49One of the fridge with this one.
29:52While the dough chills...
29:53Everything warps speed, eh?
29:55Mm-hmm.
29:56The bakers heat things up with their many flavorful fillings.
30:00I'm making a passion fruit and dark chocolate ganache.
30:04And this is basil cream.
30:06I think it's going to bring a nice flavor to the dessert.
30:08Ooh, what's this beautiful concoction?
30:10So it's kind of like a twisted mulled wine.
30:13It's actually inspired by a dinner my boyfriend and I had for Valentine's Day.
30:17So is this going to be for him?
30:19Nah.
30:21Jennifer's deconstructed Black Forest Meal Foy will be presented vertically beneath a painted wafer paper fan.
30:30Oh, wow, quite dramatic presentation.
30:31It is.
30:32Wow.
30:33It'll be a challenge.
30:34Brilliant, brilliant.
30:35I'm just making my passion fruit custard.
30:37I've had a few issues with my fillings not being set enough.
30:41So I really need to make sure that there's good structure.
30:44This is pistachio cream.
30:45It's just a luxury ingredient.
30:47It's made in Italy and it's beautiful.
30:50I have my pistachio cream oil going here.
30:53I've got my lemon cream oil going here.
30:55And I am cooking down my apricot jam.
30:57I'm thinking about the things that we always have at home.
31:01Bringing a taste of home,
31:03Zoe's lemon pistachio milfoy will be topped with flour shaped meringue filled with apricot jam.
31:10Jam.
31:11Jam, jam, jam.
31:13To the fridge.
31:15And go and do my pastry.
31:21This is going to be my last fold.
31:23So much butter, so much folding has gone into this.
31:26Not bad for some rough puff.
31:28Oh my gosh.
31:29This still gets a lot of love and attention.
31:31We're very patient with it.
31:33We're kind to it.
31:34I feel like puff pastry is kind of like having kids, you know?
31:37You try your best, but it doesn't always turn out the way you want.
31:43Hey, did you know that a milfoy is also called a Napoleon?
31:45Oh, wow.
31:46Napoleon was named after a pastry?
31:47No, it's...
31:48Cool.
31:49Two hours left, bakers.
31:52I'm rolling to size now.
31:53I'm going to get it as thin as I can.
31:55Okay.
31:56Half time.
31:57Oops.
31:58Bad cut.
32:04It's similar to braiding the girls' heads.
32:06Little bit more delicate.
32:08Time is escaping us.
32:10Come on.
32:11Come on.
32:12I'm just going to put a little bit of sugar on to caramelize on top.
32:15Oh, I almost forgot to put this layer of parchment down.
32:17That would have sucked.
32:19The bakers will weigh down their puff.
32:21I'm just going to gently press.
32:23To ensure an even uniform bake.
32:26All the tricks and hacks.
32:27I'm not quite Jennifer, but I have the old school hacks.
32:34Keeping my cool.
32:35This is my basil hazelnut praline.
32:37It's going to give the inside a nice crunch.
32:39We're doing some arts and crafts today.
32:41My dad put me in this traditional Chinese drawing class ten years ago.
32:45And it's finally to use now.
32:47It's the only thing I'm confident about with this bake.
32:50Got to have your coffee before you come in here because your head needs to be in four places at once.
32:56I'm making little meringue cups and flowers that will hold the jam.
33:00Time to sugar my pistachios.
33:02I don't know if it's going to be dripping enough.
33:05Yeah.
33:06Well, I think so.
33:07So I'm making ladyfingers right now that are going to go in between the layers of puff pastry.
33:12So you're making two very technical recipes.
33:15Ladyfingers and puff dough.
33:17Yes.
33:18Like the day wasn't difficult enough.
33:20Joe's towering trifle inspired meal foie will feature passion fruit creme diplomat, raspberries and ladyfingers dipped in her favorite tipple.
33:32My mom said that I went around one of her parties one time when I was two dipping my pacifier in everyone's sherry in.
33:38So I've had a taste for sherry since I was three.
33:41You were weaned on sherry.
33:43I'm on puff control here.
33:49I'm scared to even look into my oven.
33:51Oh, my God.
33:54I hate waiting.
33:55I know.
33:56It's the calm before the storm.
33:58I cannot open the door.
34:00I watch this show and scream at people.
34:02Do not open the door.
34:03On the outside, I'm easy breezy, and on the inside, I'm screaming.
34:10Oh, you can go off now.
34:14Holy cow.
34:15We might actually be baked.
34:18Uh, they kind of burned.
34:21Oh, shoot.
34:23I thought I smelled something.
34:24You caught it just in time.
34:26Ah.
34:27Bakers, you have ten minutes left.
34:29I need my brain to kick into gear now for me to figure out what to do.
34:33Now I'm just cutting them into hearts, being very careful not to destroy everything I just did in the last three and a half hours.
34:39You want to be pretty precise with this because you want those nice sharp edges.
34:44It's a hack in puff pastry world.
34:46If you sand off a little bit, you can see some really nice layers in the middle.
34:50Good as new.
34:51Time to build.
34:52Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.
34:53I have dark chocolate whipped ganache.
34:54I got passion fruit whipped ganache.
34:55I'll just get this milk chocolate layer down here.
34:56I don't do portion control.
34:57I don't know what that is.
34:58I don't do portion control.
34:59I don't know what that is.
35:00We have to move really quick at this point.
35:02Fast and precise is the name of the game.
35:03Bakers, you have two minutes left.
35:04Holy cow.
35:05She's standing.
35:06I got three layers.
35:10My very delicate bread.
35:19Little jam cups.
35:20Let's move it.
35:21Let's go.
35:22Let's go.
35:23Let's go.
35:24Holy cow.
35:29She's standing.
35:31I got three layers.
35:33My very delicate braid.
35:36Little jam cups.
35:38Let's move it. Let's go. Let's go.
35:41Oh my gosh.
35:44Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
35:53You're done, bakers. Hands off your meal foie.
35:56Great job.
36:01It has a lot of sherry in it.
36:04Feeling really good all of a sudden.
36:15Bruno and Kyla will now taste the baker's meal foie.
36:19Joe, please bring your showstopper up to the front.
36:23So you have like a whole symphony of colors and flavors happening here.
36:32There's also ladyfingers peeking out.
36:35So much to take in.
36:37And if I'm not mistaken, you lace it.
36:40I braided the pastry.
36:42It looks very nice.
36:44And when you cut into it, the burst of flavor that just comes...
36:50I could do a blind tasting and those passionfruits.
36:53Yes.
36:53And the raspberry.
36:57For a few seconds, it took me to Paris here.
37:01Your puff dough has a nice crunch.
37:03Yet, when you bite into it, it just melts.
37:06The passionfruits, the raspberry.
37:09And then the thing I love the most about a good trifle is the heavy hand of sherry.
37:12And you've done that well here.
37:19Wow.
37:19These colors that you've chosen, it's a beautiful combination.
37:23And the pistachio spikes, they add so much fun and whimsy to it.
37:27But it does lack some of the body that we like to see on a millefeuille.
37:31I think it's just the way you pipe it.
37:36Some of your puff layers in the middle could have used a bit more baking time.
37:41It definitely is a good quality puff that you've made.
37:45A little more baking and we'd get the opportunity to taste that richness.
37:49But playing the pistachio card definitely reminds you of an Italian trip.
37:54Yeah, actually, and the milk chocolate too, because now I'm thinking of when you're eating the gelato and it's dense and rich.
37:59It does have that sense to it.
38:06Zoe, you have some beautiful height on this millefeuille.
38:10I love that you've added these meringues on top and a bonus piece with lattice.
38:16It's a clever addition.
38:18That's a beautiful sound, isn't it?
38:29Your puff dough is so flaky and delicate.
38:32It's baked perfectly.
38:35I love this combination of the apricot jam.
38:38The pistachio just adds warmth.
38:40And we have the brightness coming through from the lemon.
38:43And then the pastry is melting in your mouth.
38:45This is a beautiful composition here.
38:48Thank you so much.
38:52Ryan, this is a beautiful millefeuille of love.
38:56And I like the contrast of very elegant and some roughness.
39:00You know, love is not always easy.
39:03It does have a beautiful tiered cake effect to it.
39:06But this middle layer almost disappears inside there.
39:08I think that the passion fruit is definitely the star of this show.
39:19The basil.
39:20I'm not getting the flavor coming through enough.
39:23But on the puff dough, it's like layers of thin pepper stacked together.
39:28That's a rock star on its own.
39:30Jennifer, I mean, words fail me, to be honest.
39:37It's mind-blowing that a millefeuille could look like that.
39:42It is.
39:43It's such an out-of-the-box presentation.
39:45Let's have a little peek underneath here.
39:48Look at this.
39:49This is real craftsmanship here.
39:52Beautiful puff dough.
39:57However, some of the edge is slightly overcooked.
40:00When you take a bite of the chocolate, the cherry, the mascarpone cheese, it really does make sense.
40:06It's a nice combination.
40:08Yeah, and I like that you haven't overdone it with red wine.
40:11I think it just kind of gives you a little bit of a, you know, raise your glass a little bit.
40:14So, outstanding overall.
40:16I'm a fan.
40:17Thank you so much, Jennifer.
40:32Wow.
40:33These bakers keep raising the bar.
40:36Who knew that a classic dessert could be spinned into something so creative?
40:41Jennifer literally turned it on its side.
40:44Little bit of work she needed to do on her pastry, but overall, so impressive.
40:48And then Zoe, beautiful height.
40:51And beautiful flavor combination.
40:53And speaking of flavor, Joe, every taste bud was just lit up.
40:58And Ryan, great idea.
41:01The puff dough was exceptional.
41:02Just one or two tweaks in a design would have given it a beautiful presence.
41:07And Margaret taking us on her holiday to Sicily.
41:10You could just taste the memories in what she was doing.
41:13Her puff pastry just needed more cooking time.
41:16So, it sounds like you liked all of these.
41:19Well, they're all such talented bakers.
41:21We'll look into each and every detail.
41:24And that's what's going to make the difference between who's star and who's leaving us today.
41:32Bakers, thank you for bringing new life to an old fave.
41:35I have the lucky job of announcing this week's star baker, who will also be guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals.
41:43This week's star baker is...
41:49Joe.
41:53Congratulations.
41:54You've done amazing.
42:03Unfortunately, we can't skip the hard part.
42:07The baker going home this week is...
42:10Margaret, we'll miss you.
42:19I knew that it's okay.
42:24Well, I'm sad, but I have just had the time of my life.
42:30We had a journey.
42:31I am very proud of myself.
42:33Just an ordinary mom who loves to bake.
42:36And I made it all the way here, which was just like a dream come true.
42:41I miss you.
42:43I'm going to miss this all.
42:44It was such an amazing adventure.
42:46After all these weeks of baking, I want to go home and bake some more.
42:48Without the time pressure.
42:52To be star baker amongst all this talent is just really overwhelming.
42:56I don't want this to end.
42:58I know star baker doesn't make me safer next week, not in the slightest, but right now I'm going to celebrate with a glass of champagne.
43:05I can't believe I'm here.
43:06Yeah, I can't believe it.
43:08There's four of us left.
43:10Only three get to the finals.
43:11I'm so close.
43:13I might as well stick around for another week.
43:18Next time.
43:19It's the semi-finals.
43:21Those words don't sound real.
43:22The pressure is on.
43:24Hustle to the end.
43:27Who will have a fairy tale ending?
43:28It's so magical.
43:30Stunning.
43:30Look at that.
43:31And whose will be a nightmare?
43:33Oh no.
43:34This is really hard.
43:36Oh my god.
43:37There's so much in there.
43:38Woo!
43:38There's so much in there.
43:40There's so much in there.
43:40There's so much in there.
43:41There's so much in there.
43:42There's so much in there.
43:43There's so much in there.
43:44There's so much in there.
43:45There's so much in there.
43:46There's so much in there.
43:47There's so much in there.
43:48There's so much in there.
43:49There's so much in there.
43:50There's so much in there.
43:51There's so much in there.
43:52There's so much in there.
43:53There's so much in there.
43:54There's so much in there.
43:55There's so much in there.
43:56There's so much in there.
43:57There's so much in there.
43:58There's so much in there.
43:59There's so much in there.
44:00There's so much in there.
44:01There's so much in there.
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