Bake Off Episode 2 Series 6

We've all forgotten Stu and his hat already.  Who will go this week?  Apparently there has been such a run of betting on one of the participants that betting has closed.  I hope it isn't leaked, I like the 'who will go, who will win' side of it.  

This week is biscuits.  We are shown a clip of Nadiya engaging in fighting talk - and yet she looks as though butter biscuits wouldn't melt in her mouth.  

Challenge 1 - the signature challenge, to create 24 crunchy biscotti.  Mel loves saying biscotti, so much I have to wonder if she has already been at the limoncello.  Alvin is first up with his biscotti, fresh jack fruit (no, I didn't know either) and pistachio.   The other bakers have all gone for dried fruit rather than fresh.  Matt, our Kent firefighter, is going for cranberry, pistachio and biscotti.  Orange, cranberry and rosemary sounds disgusting, but I am sure Ian has done this before.  He also has orange caramel and almonds in there.  Sandy has gone for chocolate and hazelnut - if only she had the dull cranberry too, Paul H would be in heaven.  

Paul Prison (to distinguish him from Paul H) has gone for chocolate, hazelnut and fig.  Paul H doesn't waste a second in pulling all his confidence out from under him, by pointing out that it is hard to tell when chocolate biscotti is cooked.  Can you imagine Paul as an adjudicator in an exam hall, going round lifting people's papers up and tutting?  I love fennel biscuits, so I quite like the idea of Flora's biscuits.  I feel as if it has been on for hours, but only 9 minutes have gone by. 

Nadiya has gone for coconut, fennel and pistachio, with coconut brittle on the top, adapted from a recipe of her mum's.  I quite like the sound of it.  Their next hurdle is having sufficient time for the biscotti to cool before decorating.  Marie is making the mistake of telling Paul her errors -as if he needs help in criticising them!

Flora comments on how stressful it is just making biscotti.  We feel your stress Flora.  Now the glazing is going ahead.  Nadiya forgot the fennel so is adding it with the coconut crumb, not so sure about that.  

Judging 
Mat's - beautifully even, good crunch, 'nice biscotti'
Nadiya - even, fennel works well, 'nice biscotti'
Marie - don't look too bad, but not uniform, chocolate not set.  Nice crunch and flavour, Paul expected more ingredients.  
Ugne - texture bang on, flavour lovely, 
Alvin - flavour beautiful, needed a little more time
Sandy - good, flavours fantastic, bake is good
Dorret - not much flavour, not strong enough, doesn't think sugar works, 
Tamal - good flavours, nothing over-riding, need to pick a key one.  
Paul - texture as it should be, tricky for chocolate, Paul H would have them again, great biscotti, Mary doesn't feel nuts and fruit and chocolate go together.  I do, even if it is Paul Prison
Flora - not quite uniform, flat, and hasn't overpowered with fennel 
Ian - really nice biscotti, almost ginger flavour, fantastic biscotti

Challenge 2
Mystery biscuit - an arlette - which none of them have heard of, and neither have I - it is a a cinnamon flavoured, wafer thin puff pastry biscuit - like a thin round palmier. 
Paul H says that it's all about the lamination.  
Ian has got the clue that it is puff pastry dough.  The rest of them are not so sure.  

Being thin the biscuits will cook quickly, so whilst they are in the oven, there is a lot of biscuit watching - I could have helped out with that, I look at a lot of food.  
Mat's are like flip-flops - but he is a firefighter from Kent, so I shall support the home team until the end.  Nothing has gone in the bin, always a good sign with Bake Off.  Many of them looks quite close to the desired biscuit.  Marie has not finished hers and can only put 4 on display.  I hate it when they get stuck, I feel so sorry for them.  

Judging
In the judging there were several too chewy and undercooked, a lot of comments from Paul about 'butter pouring out', and 'could be thinner' - couldn't we all Paul, particularly me.  Marie was last, she had got her oven times wrong, such a shame.  Paul Prison was 10th and Nadiya 9th. Flora was in second place, and Dorret was first.  I am so pleased for her after last week, that must be a huge relief.  

Paul suggests before the showstopper that Mat, Ian and Alvin are all in the running for star baker. 

Showstopper
36 biscuits presented in a biscuit box made from a different type of biscuit.  Paul wants to see architecture, Mary wants to see lots of techniques.

Paul - gingerbread box and macaroons in honour of his wife, which is sweet.  Sue suggests the whole world is in love with Paul. I am not so sure.  Paul is my least favourite, but I am not quite sure why.  I think it is the lack of humour.  

Over half of the bakers are making gingerbread boxes, although Nadiya's is gingerbread and cayenne pepper as she is "all about the drama".  I love her sense of humour.  Tamal is making an anise biscuit box, Flora's tea chest is earl grey and honey, Ugne's is lithuanian honey cake and Sandy is the only one making savoury biscuits - with a sundried tomato and cheese biscuit box.  Ian's box is shortbread - made in a cyclinder in a mould he made himself.  I was impressed, Paul points out it could burn on one side and not cook on the other.  I have to wonder at Paul's need to always undermine them.  It may be showmanship, but it comes across as mean.  He then goes on to undermines Dorret for using a biscuit stamp.  I wonder if he was bullied at school?  

When it gets to box assembly, they are all nervous.  I am nervous for them.  I have also had to put away the biscuits I got out, before I am also wobbling for them.   When Sue says 7 minutes, Nadiya looks terrified.  Flora's amazing lid snapped - it looked so gorgeous.  Sue dents Nadiya's chances by breaking her bowl lid, at least she claimed she broke it, but I am not too sure, I saw her saying she had broken it and then confessing to Paul, but don't recall seeing her break it - but I am confident Nadiya has done too well this week to be the one to go.  Nadiya deals with it calmly.  Alvin's snaps look gorgeous.  Both Ian and Prison Paul's macarons look fabulous.  

Judging
Ian: cylinder works, macarons look perfect.  Making that cylinder is really impressive (now you admit that Holywood).
Flora: Ambitious box - but snapped, which is such a shame as it was so beautiful.  Great bake, good piping.  Tea bags - great bake 
Alvin: he didn't have time to get his gingerbread house together, he is so upset.  Beautiful flavour, nice biscuit.  Brandy snaps great flavour - and colour and bake.  I hope that is enough to save him. 
Marie: Russian box looks elegant, biscuits look quite plain, good scotch shortbread biscuit - Paul thinks her flavours are muddled.  The box is not crisp. 
Sandy: biscuit box looks "breathtaking" - I have to agree, I want one.  The cheese biscuits inside are delicious but a bit soft.
Tamal: good flavour and crisp all the way through, the lid has softened up slightly, star anise 'bang on'.  
Ugne: 'over the top', it is too garish for Mary (how can she say that with her taste in jackets?).  Paul loves the biscuits inside.  
Dorret: box of frogs - crisp, not much flavour,  Paul thinks the biscuits are bitter, the gingerbread is fantastic flavour, but soft.
Nadiya: box of fortunes, such a shame she didn't have time to decorate the replacement lid.  The fortune cookies - are all equal, Mary and Paul are impressed with them. 
Paul: memory box - clean cut, different sizes for his biscuits inside, over generous with filling, overpowering top.  Gingerbread lid is very good.  
Mat: fire engine - nice and crisp, looks fun, tea bags, even bake, flavour is good - lid is beautifully crisped, tasted great well baked.

Star baker - Ian!  

Leaving today is Marie.  She was star baker last week.  That is the ups and downs of Bake Off.  I was quite surprised that she went and not Paul Prison.  Google tells me that the run of bets was on her.  Apparently she trained with Escoffier 30 years ago, and many think that gives her an unfair advantage.  Would it?   I was in the armed forces 30 years ago - put me at Bisley on the Great British Shoot Out, I still couldn't hit a target to save my life.  (If anyone now creates a shooting reality show, I want credit for coming up with the horrendous idea).  

Next week is bread - and there will be ten contestants with buns in the ovens.  Mat and Nadiya are still my favourites, with the other seven all a very close third, and then Paul Prison.  I must try harder to like him next week.  Maybe he could try laughing?