Hello my little pavlovas and welcome to another week of HALF BAKED. Sorry about the lack of newsletter last week, I had to go to an actual IN-PERSON work event on Tuesday and am generally behind on everything. (although, the concept of actually being top of everything feels like a faraway fantasy at this point).
So, instead I’ll try and fit my discussions of both episodes this week to get us back on track.
Bready, Steady, Go
Bread week was Giuseppe’s week. It did feel unfair that they assigned both focaccia and ciabatta, although maybe it was so Jurgen didn’t get another star baker and they’d have to declare the series already over. Although, maybe Jurgen wouldn’t have won anyway, considering his baby-shaped showstopper(??) which felt disturbing to say the least. After all, what’s more appetising than cutting a (bread) baby open?
There was also a moment where, I don’t know about you guys, but the minute Maggie started talking about how ‘traditional was best’ then I started to sweat. Luckily, she just meant bread recipes but a woman of Maggie’s age aren’t always to be trusted. I was surprised to see Rochica go over Maggie, but then there was next week…
Just Desserts
And what a week. While Jurgen and Giuseppe came through as expected, there was some stealth performances. Crystelle continued to prove she has potential final chops as well as chaos queen Lizzie, who has done consistently well over bread and dessert week. Despite her sometimes unconventional strategies, Lizzie could prove to be a real contender. And of course, the most surprising turn of all which was Chigs winning Star Baker. He continues last year streaks of men who seem like Dads Who Would Take Sports Day Too Seriously, who then turn out to be actually pretty good bakers.
But now, onto the contestants who were on the strugglebus and unfortunately there were quite a few passengers this week. Freya’s aquafaba didn’t ever seem to come through for her like she would have liked (I remain sceptical about it as a substitute). There’s also Amanda’s current trick, which seems to be consistently fucking up just a little bit less than someone else. I’m not sure she has much longer to hide.
But unfortunately, this week was Maggie’s to lose. I’m unsure whether the contestants are allowed to ask each other questions about the technical as it seems wild that you wouldn’t check with literally ANYONE ELSE whether a sponge had flour, but the minute I saw that dark little clump of soil instead of a sticky toffee pudding in the technical, I felt Maggie’s will to live slowly disappear. At least she laughed though, unlike Giuseppe, who had the facial expression of a man whose family had been murdered because he had only done moderately well.
PREDICTIONS:
Still Jurgen and Giuseppe as finalists, but the third finalist could be anyone between Crystelle, Lizzie and Chigs. Also next week is German Week, which hardly seems fair on literally any non-Jurgen contestant. In terms of elimination, I think it should be Amanda’s week to go, although George has still yet to prove his self-appointed ‘perfectionist’ label.
Bakeoff: The DIY Edition
I’ve never really made any non-baked dessert beyond Angel Delight (otherwise known as The Forbidden Goop) so this week, we’re back with Nigella again for her instant chocolate mousses from Nigella Express. I debated trying a pavlova recipe from Benjamina Ebuehi, but when I saw that it would have to sit in my completely unreliable oven for several hours to ‘cool’ I knew I needed something easier.
So, these instant choc mousses are named so because instead of requiring egg, they use mini marshmallows and whipped cream. It’s pretty straightforward in that you melt most of the ingredients together, whip some cream then all fold together and put in the fridge to cool. I also learned this week that, since my flatmate has moved out, I need to invest in some actual mixing bowls and baking stuff in general, as trying to fold the mixture in my small saucepan was not ideal, to say the least.
It was incredibly liquid-y when I first made it so I was very sceptical, but after an hour in the fridge, it was surprisingly more set than anticipated. I added a sprinkle of sea salt flakes which really worked, although it’s a very rich dessert in general. Overall, I would recommend this recipe to any dessert beginners who would be intimidated by a mousse. The texture was pretty similar, with even the tiniest of bubbles in places, so that’s a win for me. Overall, a good beginners recipe.
Some Other Good Food:
Osaka Local @ Grub Market - had an excellent Tofu Katsu burger
Grandad’s Sausages @ Hatch - their halloumi hot dog with crispy onion, sweet mustard and caramelised onion chutney was delicious.
KBOM’s Pastel De Nata @ Hatch - warm, gooey with a crisp flaky base like all good pastel de natas.
A lagerita @ Northern Monk - like an actually good Desperados.
Tacos with friends - Made dinner with some friends where we made tacos with sweet potato. They were boiled then fried in El Paso Roast Tomato and Pepper seasoning along with plenty of salt and pepper. This was then paired with smashed avocado, cheddar, and Cherelle’s excellent fresh salsa, as well as the very classy drink pairing of Fanta.
That’s all for this week, but see you next Wednesday for either Jurgen’s easiest victory or greatest shame.
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