Tarts The Great British Bake Off

Welcome back to Somerset, and to our illustrious tent

wherein ten bakers are continuing to do baking battle.

They face a weekend of arduous challenges

in an effort to impress Mary Berry and Paul "The Silverback" Hollywood.

Well, the butter is room temperature, the flour is sifted.

But who will crumble? Forgive me!

Welcome to The Great British Bake Off.

Last week...

-It's sticking!

-..bread proved tricky.

I'm going again! I'm going again!

For the first time...

I feel like I'm sort of an impostor.

-..Victoria struggled.

-They're a bit weak. They're a bit flat.

-But, it was dad of two, Peter...

-WATER SPLASHES

..who was next to leave.

To say it was a disaster would be a humiliation to disaster.

While law student, John, was judged Star Baker.

-Chuffed to bits! Chuffed to bits!

-'This week...'

-Did I just say you measuring pastry?

-Yeah!

'..the bakers tackle tarts.

'But who'll create pastry perfection?'

-I love that!

-You could see this on the front of a patisserie window.

Who'll manage to pull off...

Let's try that again.

..a technical triumph?

A little bit of a soggy bottom in the middle.

Who'll be the next Star Baker?

Yes! Yes! Sorry! Yes!

And whose Bake Off...

I will, today, design a tart that will look stunning.

..is about to come to an end?

So this is going to go in the bin.

I'm really, really, cross with myself. Really cross.

Aargh!

Silly! Silly, silly, silly!

So, this week, it's all about tarts.

Such a shame you can't get any double entendres out of this week.

Hmmm...

Did you say, "tarts?"

Tarts, yeah.

-No, nothing.

-No.

Morning, bakers, and welcome back to the Bake Off tent.

And this, your signature challenge.

We're going to be asking you today

to rustle up a bit of a French classic...

SHE ADOPTS FRENCH ACCENT ..which is the tarte tatin.

-Oh!

-Thanks very much.

Now this is a particularly tricky thing to bake,

because it requires a real knowledge of pastry,

and apparently, very steady hand when you're turning it out.

Well, that rules you out.

We're looking for a classic tarte tatin, sweet or savoury,

and you've just got two and a half hours to do it.

-So...

-On your marks.

-Get set.

-Bake!

The classic tarte tatin

is traditionally made with caramelised apples,

which are baked under a lid of pastry before being inverted,

so that when it's served, the pastry is underneath and the filling on top.

The finished result should be

a crisp pastry once they turn it out,

and on top,

a lovely, syrupy, shiny caramel.

If they bake it too little, it will remain pale.

That, with the liquid of whatever fruit they're going to use,

will go into the dough and make it soggy.

And that, for me, is a big no.

This is something that I do actually make for lunch.

We eat it at home.

Whether it's a classic tarte tatin, I don't know. But we eat this.

-It's edible! I know it's edible!

-SHE LAUGHS

As well as her friends and partner, Michael,

it's intensive care consultant Danny's work colleagues

that are the willing guinea pigs

for her latest baking inventions.

Today, it will be Paul and Mary's turn to try her savoury tatin,

featuring pear, walnut, thyme and Roquefort cheese.

Sounds very interesting, doesn't it?

It does, it sounds nice!

I mean, pear and Roquefort really go well together.

As long as you don't overwhelm the pear with Roquefort.

That's the secret. It's about the blend of the flavours.

To get the cheese flavour in,

because it melts, you've got extra kind of moisture.

The first time I made it, it was FAR too sweet.

So I've cut back, and I've gone to almost no sugar

and then go back up again, to try and get the balance right

between the amount of "caramel" and liquid

that's coming from the cheese.

-Wait and see!

-Yes!

There are no flies on these bakers!

Most of the bakers are making rough puff pastry

by adding chunks of butter to flour.

I've brought my own knife from home

cos it's got a perfect rounded end for going round the bowl

and cutting through the butter and stuff.

I can't make pastry without this knife

so I have to bring it with me!

They must add just enough water

to bring the mixture together into a soft dough.

You put some lemon juice in with the water.

Don't quote me on this, but I think it's to help

start break down the gluten in the flour,

so that the layers can really puff up.

To produce the rough puff's distinctive layers,

the dough must then be rolled and folded.

I've done three folds. Pop it back in the fridge.

That should be A-OK.

James has opted for a different approach.

HE HAMMERS BUTTER

He is the only baker attempting

the more time-consuming full puff pastry,

which means adding the butter in one flattened piece.

It's then distributed as he rolls and folds the pastry dough.

Doing it this quickly is hard!

By ensuring the butter is perfectly sandwiched between each layer,

he should produce a lighter pastry.

To be quite honest, I've got no idea

what rough puff pastry is or how to make it,

This is the only sort I knew!

When he's not experimenting with his baking,

James relaxes playing double bass in a band with his sister.

THEY PLAY SCOTTISH FOLK MUSIC

Today, he's baking a personal tried and tested favourite,

an apple and lavender tart.

-Apple and lavender?

-Yes!

How are you infusing the lavender, then?

I'm just actually putting some dried lavender

in with the caramel and it works, yeah.

Why lavender?

This is the only tarte tatin I've ever made or ever tasted!

-And you leave the little bits of lavender in it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Nice!

-That'll be interesting to see.

-Yeah!

With the pastry resting in the fridge,

the bakers must focus on perfecting their toppings.

I tend to like just a trace of a flavour

and Paul and Mary like FLAVOUR with a big F,

so I'm sort of doubling up the amount I'm putting in.

When she isn't baking, Victoria knits,

using the quiet time to dream up new flavour combinations.

Her tart is a daring mix of figs, walnuts and pink peppercorns.

Now, these peppercorns, they are dry?

Yes, they are like this.

But I've found when you crush them, they're still quite soft inside.

They're not like black peppercorns

which seem to be very hard and dried.

-Not infused in anything?

-No.

Good luck. I'm looking forward to seeing

how those peppercorns come through against the figs.

I've actually practised this yesterday,

and actually last week as well.

I don't want to be on the back foot all the time, you see?

If I do this well,

it eases the pressure and I can enjoy the weekend.

For Ryan, baking is all about preparation.

He practises all his recipes

until he gets them absolutely perfect,

often with the help of his two-year-old daughter, Molly.

-Uh!

-Yes, you're having a lot of fun, but you're not making much!

He's hoping that will pay off

with his vanilla and cinnamon spiced pear tarte tatin.

I'm scraping out the vanilla seeds and rubbing it into the pears.

And on top of that I'll stick

the left over vanilla pod into the pear,

to drive some of the flavour inside the pears.

Ryan isn't the only one who's been practising.

I've done this one three or four times,

just because it's everybody's favourite.

It's very simple, though.

Compared to everybody else's, it's very simple.

Vicar's wife, Sarah-Jane, has hundreds of baking recipes

that have been handed down to her by her grandmother.

Her family's favourite tarte tatin

only features caramel and fresh banana.

-I LOVE bananas!

-Oh, that's good!

Did you know that, Sarah-Jane?

I didn't, no!

And are you slicing your bananas or..?

I'm going to slice them into discs.

It looks quite pretty.

So it won't be too deep.

If you did it very deep it would fall apart when you cut it.

Yes.

But you've worked all that out, haven't you?

I don't want to say too much,

but it does work quite well at home

and everybody really likes it.

So we expect perfection, then!

Nothing less than perfection, Sarah-Jane, is that OK?

That's fine, yeah! No pressure!

My children are definitely the guinea pigs for my recipes.

But my children are probably my harshest critics,

cos if they don't like it, they just won't eat it

and they won't pretend that it's lovely.

Mum of two, Cathryn, takes her family camping as often as she can,

and even life in the great outdoors won't stop her from baking.

She's making life difficult again with her tarte tatin,

creating her own five spice mix

and de-stoning almost a pound of fresh plums and cherries.

SHE SIGHS

Hasn't been entirely successful when I've been practising at home,

so hoping that I've got all my...

ironed out the creases at home

and it'll be all right today.

Got an hour and ten minutes.

With 90 minutes to go,

caramel becomes the key element in the tarte tatin.

Made by carefully melting sugar in water,

not only does it give the tart a golden colour,

it should also provide a shiny, glazed finish.

Because I've got apple juice and cinnamon in there,

I can't quite gauge the amber tones, cos it was already fairly brown.

-Gauge the amber tones?

-Gauge the amber tones!

I tell you what, if the baking doesn't pay off, which it will,

-poetry is always there.

-Yeah, well...

When his parents divorced 16 years ago,

John and his mum found that baking

was a great way for them to bond and to keep the family together.

In my tum-tum!

He's determined to repeat last week's success

with an apple and vanilla tarte tatin,

topped with a walnut praline.

I'm aware that when I speak to you

there should be a certain amount of reverence in my tone,

cos, last week, Star Baker.

Well, yeah, you're talking to a king now, Sue.

-I know, I know. Excuse me, let me defer.

-Thank you!

It's nice to have that accolade of Star Baker,

but it doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

Everything's set to zero today and...

-Would it mean more if we gave you a crown?

-It would, actually.

You can fashion one out of foil or something.

-Something quite simple.

-You've heard about the licence fee freezes, then?

-Yeah.

-It literally would be made out of foil.

Any prospect of being this week's Star Baker...

So this is going to go in the bin.

..could already be slipping away from Manisha.

I think the sugar crystallised.

That's never, ever happened before. Yeah, going to start again.

When she's not baking or looking after her dad and brothers,

nursery teacher, Manisha, spends as much time with friends as she can.

They've all tried her classic apple and pear tarte tatin.

Manisha, I saw you having a little bit of trouble with that caramel

and you know, in a non-stick pan,

very often, it will crystallise,

and it's very important not to stir.

You dissolve the sugar stirring, then leave it alone

and let it boil till it's a caramel.

And you've got there in the end.

I've got two going at the end.

Just in case! How many times have you..?

This is the fifth and sixth.

I've got a good feeling about six.

-I've not touched number four and three...

-Just leave them alone.

How the bakers arrange their fruit is critical.

An apple left to eat!

Failing to create an attractive pattern at this stage

will result in an ugly mess once their tart is turned out.

I like tarte tatin to have strong, deep apples.

It sort of adds to the presentation of it and depth of it.

When 63-year-old Brendan was in his teens,

he planned to train for a career in baking.

But money at home was tight and he had to put his dreams on hold

so that he could find work to support his family.

His signature tarte tatin uses ginger

to complement the flavour of 12 apples.

Using this particular upright method, I bake it first of all,

before putting the pastry on, and then finish it.

That will be in there for 25 minutes.

The final piece in the tarte tatin puzzle is the pastry top.

That, after baking, will become the bottom.

Danny, did I just see you measuring pastry?

Yeah, it's too thick.

-You've been measuring that way as well?

-Yeah, and it's too thick here.

You're going to need an electron microscope to see that!

But Stuart isn't rolling out pastry.

For the almond flavour, I'm using marzipan,

cos it's just quite an intense almond but nice balanced flavour.

So I'm putting that on top of the fruit

and pastry on top of the marzipan.

PE teacher, Stuart, is currently having to divide his spare time

between practising for the Bake Off

and training with his local rugby team.

He's tackling a pear and almond tarte tatin.

It could look very messy as it melts, the marzipan.

But that marzipan is going to give a really good flavour,

because I often make marzipan, grated

into a mixture of apples or pears,

and I think it adds a lot to a tart.

40 minutes remaining.

I think that'll do.

When baking in the oven,

any liquid from their fruit will create steam

that can soak the baker's pastry, rendering it a soggy mess.

So, hopefully it should be OK.

By pricking the surface, the steam can escape,

helping the pastry stay as crisp as possible.

Fingers crossed!

When to remove a tarte tatin from the oven is an agonising decision.

The bakers will only be able to see when their PASTRY is baked.

I want to keep the bottom of the pastry as crisp as possible.

But it means that it's colouring a lot more quickly than it would.

So I've made a little hat to put on the top

to stop it from going too dark while it finishes cooking.

They have to rely on their baking instincts to reassure them

that their hidden fruit toppings

are cooked through without becoming mushy and shapeless.

And even if they think they have judged it correctly...

Has everybody else brought theirs out?

..they will only know for sure if they manage to turn it out.

There is a lot of liquid, still.

Moment of truth now.

Oh, syrup, disaster!

Puff the Magic Pastry. Here it comes.

That is not only a taste of France, it is the size of France.

That would do a proper old-fashioned family of eight, wouldn't it?

It really would.

Oh, my days! Woah! Look at that!

It has kind of collapsed slightly on this side. But, yeah, it looks good.

That is not too bad.

Yes, yes! Sorry! Yes! That is so childish!

You had a tricky time to start with, with that caramel, didn't you?

-Yes.

-But you got there in the end.

-This was the sixth caramel you made?

-Eighth.

The eighth caramel?!

My only thing is, I like a dark colour, I like to see a caramel.

The pastry could do with a bit more cooking.

The flavours are good but it is under-baked.

I think it looks great. You have a fantastic colour.

-I love what has happened to the bananas.

-Thank you.

-It is red. I didn't even know they were bananas.

-No, I know.

It is lovely and flaky underneath.

You know what I'm going to say about that?

-No?

-No soggy bottom!

-Thank you!

That tastes absolutely delicious.

I was very impressed with the way you chose something simple

and carried it out perfectly.

-Thank you so much.

-That is delicious.

Toffee, banana, crispy, layered, buttery. Well done.

Thank you so much.

Weights and measures wise,

you have used an orchard's worth of apples for this?

-There's 12.

-That is a nightmare to cut into!

Normally it fuses so you would not have that issue.

You are going to have major issues. Obviously it will remain soggy.

Any layers you've managed to build up will collapse.

-It needed longer.

-Yes.

Your apples are not quite... I would have, a little bit more.

I know they are al dente, now, but it needed more.

But the flavours are very good.

And as you say, a little bit longer in the oven.

Lots of colour, but does the colour

then mean lots of flavour?

I can see that the pastry is not done.

That does not really work for me.

It does not know what it is. That is the problem.

The bake actually is all right.

-That marzipan, with that, is spectacular.

-Thank you.

The amount of liquid in this has made you have a very soggy bottom.

It looks lovely and colourful though.

It's terrible, isn't it?

I was a bit anxious about the five-spice,

because I have not done that before with something sweet.

It is quite scrummy.

And clever you, with that five-spice. It goes very well.

Happy?

-Generally, I can't complain.

-That is a very good attitude.

I like the way that each person will get half a pair.

Or if you are Paul, a whole pear!

Could have been a little bit thicker with the caramel.

The pastry in certain parts is a little bit underdone.

You went to a lot of trouble to get that vanilla flavour and it works.

-You've got a true shine over the whole thing.

-Brilliant. Well done.

It is dark, it looks inviting, it looks toffee-like.

From here, I can see the layers of the pastry.

Just look at that for an underneath. Beautifully baked.

You needed more Roquefort. It is a strong flavour but don't be afraid to use it.

I can see from here you have got a nice soft fruit. How about that?

Lovely, crisp underneath.

The bake is good. I think the flavours altogether are fantastic.

Thank you.

We have got a bit of colour on the bottom there which is good.

The fruit is cooked.

The texture of the apple is lovely,

the flavour combination is good.

-I liked the lavender, you have really conquered that.

-Thank you.

It could have gone knicker drawer, that, you know what I mean?

There is always that worry with lavender. But it is just delightful.

Thank you very much.

It was the risk of using the lavender that got all the positive comments.

I'm so frustrated, really cross with myself. Just a bit under-baked.

They are the judges on the day.

So obviously disappointed I have not done better in their eyes.

For Mary Berry, a legend, to say that mine was perfectly baked?

It is up there with one of my best life experiences ever.

For now, I'm aiming to do a good job later

and forget about it being a bit pants.

If you visited your GP and he prescribed a jam tart

instead of antibiotics, you could be forgiven for thinking

he's more in need of urgent treatment than you.

However researchers at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh

have unearthed a sweet tart recipe from the 1950s

which shows how pioneering doctors and dieticians

have totally revolutionised our approach to healthy eating.

In 1920s Edinburgh a state of the art branch of food science

was founded at the Royal Infirmary.

Dietetics claimed that eating the right food

could benefit your health

and led to a wealth of new hospital recipes

such as the bizarrely named invalid fruit tart.

Well, the invalid fruit tart and the other recipes of the time

showed that there was an interest in treating medical conditions by diet,

so dietetics developed.

Nurses who were working in the wards where the doctors asked

for this particular treatment got particularly interested,

and they were the ones caring for the patients,

they were the ones feeding the patients.

And they liaised with the cooks and the catering department

so the nurses were able to feed the patients correctly.

Nurses started specialising in the science of dietetics

and classes were held in kitchens as well as in the ward.

These newly-appointed sister dieticians

now had the skills they needed to design and create recipes

to help put their patients on the road to recovery.

The invalid fruit tart recipe was one of several recipes

that was discovered in the archives of the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.

It's a layered dish, a very soft dish, easy to chew,

but perhaps not the traditional tart that we would eat nowadays.

The invalid fruit tart is made from stewed apples, stale sponge

and custard - each ingredient carefully chosen

to give patients a balanced intake of nutrients.

Nutritionally, I think the apples provided fibre,

but also various micronutrients that would have been recognised

to contribute to good health at that time as well.

We think that the recipe said for stale sponge

because the drier texture of a stale sponge would allow the custard

to be absorbed better. If it was a fresher sponge,

then it tends to make more of a pasty consistency.

The custard, made from milk and eggs,

added a high amount of protein to the dish,

ensuring plenty of energy for the patients.

The appearance of a tart was also taken into consideration,

and a meringue topping would have made the invalid tart

a mouth-watering prospect for hospital patients at the time.

I think there may need to be some changes if it were to be used now,

in terms of using things like pasteurised eggs in hospital.

and I also think that the name -

the invalid fruit tart - might need to be changed

to make it more appealing for patients looking through menus.

The pioneering work of these early dieticians

gave us a greater understanding

of how food can aid our path to recovery,

proving that an apple a day - even in a baked tart -

really can help keep the doctor away.

A storm has hit the Bake-Off,

just in time for pastry week's most chilling test.

Bakers, it's the moment I sense that you might all be dreading -

it's, of course, time for the Technical Challenge.

Now, this is going to be judged blind, as you know,

-so Paul and Mary, with the greatest respect, please leave.

-Good luck!

-Thank you.

This week, the Technical Challenge is going to be...

a treacle tart with a woven lattice top.

This is Mary Berry's recipe, OK? No pressure.

She will know the difference between a great bake, as per her instructions,

from something substandard. You've got two hours, so...

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-Bake.

Crack on.

All the bakers have the same ingredients

and the same very basic recipe.

Beyond that, they're on their own.

See if I can guess all the stuff that's not in the recipe.

Mary Berry's recipe. Such pressure.

If I don't present them with something perfect I'll feel dreadful!

So, Mary, why have you picked a treacle tart?

Well, it's a classic recipe, everybody loves it

and it's quite tricky to make.

It crumbles so easily.

Look at that texture. Fantastic.

And if you just turn it upside-down, there it is -

lovely and brown underneath, just that pale golden colour.

If you had a thicker pastry, it would not be as good.

I think the lattice work on the top will cause a few problems

cos most of them have probably not done it like that before.

They're not just to put them on all one way and all another way.

We've made it a bit tricky for them.

We've told them they have to interweave all the strands.

So a lot of things can go wrong.

The shortcrust pastry base is made

by combining two parts flour to one part fat...

rubbing them together to form fine breadcrumbs,

and then adding water to bind it into a dough.

Trick with it is to just work it as little as possible

and add as little water as humanly possible.

It's very short, that.

I'm not sure if it's just got too little water in it. It is pliable.

I've put the recipe's amount,

-so I'm not going to fiddle with Mary Berry - she'll have me.

-HE LAUGHS

Chilling the dough relaxes the gluten in the flour

and prevents the fats from melting into a sticky mess...

..which should allow the bakers to roll it out as thin as possible

to line their tins.

That is a thing of great beauty.

Are you starting to think there might be people here

that look like they could go all the way?

-Oh, absolutely!

-Is it getting competitive?

-Not in that sense.

-No. Not yet. Just wait. Ooh! Just wait.

So, at the moment, sweetness, light, a lot of support in the room,

a lot of love in the room. Wait till week five. SHE CLICKS HER TONGUE

The treacle-tart filling has three key ingredients -

golden syrup, lemon and breadcrumbs.

I thought a treacle tart would have treacle in it. Apparently not.

Ideally, the bread used should be a couple of days old

so that it's slightly dry,

which helps prevent the crumbs sticking together when blended.

I can't believe you've cut this into triangles and now you're going to put it into a blender

-and now smash the living daylights out of it!

-Yes!

'The bigger the breadcrumbs,

'the more lumpy the consistency of the filling and the more prone it will be to catching when baked.'

Heating the golden syrup thins it slightly,

allowing the breadcrumbs to absorb it more easily.

And adding lemon zest and juice cuts through the sweetness.

I've just tasted this filling and it's so lemony, I didn't realise...

But Mary loves lemons, doesn't she?

The bakers have to work quickly.

If the mixture is allowed to cool too much, it'll begin to solidify,

making it impossible to work evenly into their pastry cases.

It's supposed to be more thinner but we won't talk about that just yet...

Mary's recipe demands that every tart be topped by a carefully woven pastry lattice.

The only problem is just the weaving of it.

I need a ruler!

The lattice needs to be made quickly.

If the strips are too thin...

..the butter will melt as soon as they touch the warm filling...

..making the dough soft, and hard to work with.

By definition, lattice, I think that it is like strands interwoven.

That was my idea at first.

But as soon as I put the strands on, it stuck to the treacle

and I can't lift it back out again.

I've got more serious concerns about whether the pastry is OK,

rather than these minor issues.

I'm just trying to decide whether diamonds or squares would look better.

But the lattice isn't a MINOR issue for everyone.

-How many inches between each lattice, James?

-Four centimetres.

Four centimetres, apparently.

You practised your lattice!

Once the pastry got onto the warm filling,

it's much too soft and you can't do it.

So you suffer from LCD. You've got Lattice Compulsive Disorder!

Slide that on top -

Bob's your uncle.

Let's try that again.

Oh! You're doing a sort of spiral lattice?

-That is my plan.

-That is way ahead of my abilities.

You can twist the pastry and then make a lattice out of it.

It seems pretty OK.

That'll do.

The bakers have only been given an oven temperature.

With just 45 minutes remaining,

the exact baking time is up to them.

There's one chance to get it right

and if you don't get it right, then, you know, it could be the end of it.

Ah, it looked really good before...

It's too late now.

I stupidly messed up again.

I misread the recipe

so I put 150g LESS golden syrup in than I should have.

So it's going to turn out really dry and horrible. Argh! Silly!

Silly, silly, silly!

Can I borrow your golden syrup, please, James?

-Yeah, of course.

-Is that all right? Cheers, mate.

Try and pour it in and see if they notice!

Yeah, who knows, I might have reinvented Mary Berry's recipe!

MEL: Bakers, you've got ten minutes left on your technical tarts!

Ten on the treacle technical tarts.

To be quite honest I've got not a clue

whether that's done or whether that's not.

Easy, tiger!

There she blows.

This just looks like the cat's been sick on.

There's one minute, bakers! Just a minute left!

Ow!

Release the tart!

Woo-hoo!

OK, bakers, time's up!

Well, I think it's under-baked.

It's judgment time...

..and Mary and Paul have no idea whose tart is whose.

Well, they look pretty good, don't they?

-Shall we start from this side?

-Start from there.

-This one looks all right.

-Mmm-hmm.

-Quite a strong bake, isn't it?

Can really taste the lemon in there.

Nice consistency, thin pastry, good lattice and a nice glaze on top.

OK, we'll move onto this one.

It looks quite bland on the top, doesn't it?

-Nice even bake.

-It's got a nicer bake.

It's essential to get the bottom crust thin

otherwise you won't get it cooked through.

That one has been overworked. It's a little bit thick on the outside.

Nice thin lattice on that one. It's a nice colour on that one as well.

Colour's good and they've glazed it too.

Got a little bit of a soggy bottom in the middle, but it's thin pastry.

Nice, crisp, short pastry. Not overworked.

Lattice on that isn't too bad, though the filling

looks like it's been boiled slightly.

It looks quite dry, doesn't it, on the very top but...good bake.

Nice short pastry. It's good.

This one looks a little bit more higgledy-piggledy.

-Not quite so even, the lattice.

-Yeah. Bottom's just about done.

Even so, it's a short, crunchy pastry.

Shall we move onto this one?

The lattice is one of the better lattices.

The actual syrup mixture is a little bit pale.

Yeah, well, it's down to the bake, isn't it? It's very thin, this one.

Towards the centre, slightly under-baked.

Someone's done a little twist

and haven't bothered to lattice it, just laid it on the top.

We wanted you to do it, intertwining it.

And this is just five pieces that way, five pieces the other way.

Nice short pastry. Flavour's absolutely fine.

This one is quite different

and not actually following the pattern that we asked.

It's not interwoven at all.

It's very thin on the bottom, which is good.

The sides are quite thick again.

This has got an interlocking pastry, but it just looks a bit messy.

It's a bit heavy for the amount of filling.

It's quite rubbery, that one.

The filling hasn't been mixed in properly.

Maybe just a little bit heavy on the breadcrumbs.

OK, we'll move onto the final one. It's quite an even bake.

-And a good lattice.

-Lattice isn't too bad at all.

It's quite thick.

-It's cloyey.

-Cloyey!

-Cloyey.

-New word.

-New word.

When it is like that, it means just a few more breadcrumbs

have got in there.

'But whose tarts tower above the rest,

'and which bakers have failed to pass Mary's technical challenge?'

-That's good pastry.

-Bit of a soggy bottom.

This has been extremely difficult.

In fact, one of the most difficult ones that we've had to do

because they're all very similar, so we've been very nit-picking.

And we're going to start from the person who was last.

In 10th place is this one.

The mixture was just far too thick.

Number nine is this one.

And again, it was a little bit cloyey, the actual mixture.

Number eight is this one.

The design-work on the top, obviously, was a bit lazy

because it wasn't interlocking.

'Stuart's quick fix sees him sneak into seventh.

'John's soggy bottom has him sitting in sixth.

'Ryan is fifth.

'After a disappointing signature bake, Victoria's fourth place

'could buy her some breathing space going into the final day.

'And in third place, another solid performance from Cathryn.'

And at number two, not bad, quite thin. Interlocking not bad.

-Keep your lines straight, but the pastry was well baked.

-Thank you.

And at number one, we had lovely thin pastry,

very good texture and flavour. You're number one.

APPLAUSE

Erm, I'm pretty stunned, actually. That's amazing.

I managed to not come last, which was quite amazing really.

I'm really, really cross with myself.

Really cross, cos I should have made more effort to plait it properly,

and I didn't cos I thought it looked good as it was, and it didn't.

I can't believe I've actually cried.

It's ridiculous. It's a bloody treacle tart!

'One pastry challenge remaining.

'In just a few hours, Mary and Paul will decide on the new Star Baker

'and who will be on their way home.'

Paul, Mary, who's impressed you this weekend so far?

Well, I really enjoyed Sarah-Jane's...

Bananas.

-..bananas!

-I thought James' with the lavender worked particularly well.

Brendan, who's done so well up till now,

and if you remember his tarte tatin, he was disappointed and so were we.

And when you came to Victoria's with figs,

it was not exciting to look at.

It didn't tempt me, I didn't want to try it.

-I think Stuart.

-He's a name that's often mentioned at this moment.

He's been in the bottom two every week.

Every week. I think you have to put him in there.

And Manisha, she had such trouble with her caramel.

-She came last in the technical.

-You marked her last.

So we're heading into a very interesting showstopper day.

It's all on the showstopper.

Hello, hot stuffs! Today, Day Two and the Showstopper Challenge.

What we're looking for today is one large designer fruit tart.

Easy!

But you've got to make it as ornate and elaborate as you can.

Now, the choice of pastry, filling and fruit topping

are all entirely up to you,

but Mary and Paul are looking for a tart

which is fit for a window display, a top patisserie, for example.

You've got three hours to fashion this tart of all tarts,

-so on your marks...

-Get set.

-Bake.

'This is the ultimate test. It's not just about the baker's pastry skills

'and flair with flavours.

'They now also have to prove that they have the patissier's vision

'to design a spectacular show-stopping tart.'

We are on-the-edge bakers. It feels quite tense in here this morning.

There's quite an atmosphere.

'The bakers start their tart by making sweet short-crust pastry,

'but adding sugar to dough stops the gluten from becoming elastic,

'making it notoriously difficult to handle.'

This bake's got sort of fairly tricky elements.

It's just making sure that everything's set,

cos if it's not set it'll just all ooze out

and won't be very nice really.

'Stuart hopes to put his technical slip-up behind him

'with a triple-layered chocolate tart

'which includes a fresh raspberry jelly.'

Let's not beat around the bush.

You've been struggling for a couple of weeks.

-Yeah, I know.

-And this I think has got to be your masterpiece.

-Mmm-hmm.

-And where are the macadamia nuts coming?

That's going to be in the crunch layer,

so it's going to be... I'll turn it into a praline,

then mixing it with a brown sugar crumble and some fortune cookies.

-Can I look at one of those fortune cookies?

-You may. I've got enough.

They're not difficult to get out. This is your classic fortune cookie,

-then you break it.

-Oh, right.

-Like that, you snap it.

And it says, "Speaking is silver, listening is gold." There you go.

Good luck.

My most difficult part is my pastry.

It's got lots of sugar in it,

so it's really soft and it's quite hard to work with.

Half of it's just gone on the floor. I'll clear that up in a minute.

'Cathryn is the only baker not creating a round tart.

'Her rectangular showstopper will have a pistachio sweet-crust pastry,

'filled with fresh lemon cream.'

I'm sensing there's a bit of stress going on behind those eyes.

-What are we talking?

-It's worry behind the eyes today.

-What's happening?

-Maybe what I've done is a bit simple slash ordinary.

This is your third bake-off. You're doing extremely well.

You've had no major disasters.

Do you feel somewhere in there that there's some confidence on the brew?

Every time they say something nice, I get a little bit more confident.

But I can't shake how nervous I am.

D'you know what? My dad always told this to me.

If I was doing an exam, really, really nervous...

Don't say pretend they're naked!

-Pretend they're naked.

-I knew you were going to say that.

That'll make it so much worse.

Pretend Hollywood and Berry are fully in the buff.

That will help, seriously.

Exactly, seriously!

'Overworking sweet pastry risks creating a rubbery texture.

'Once rested, rolling out has to happen quickly and accurately.

'Re-rolling after a mistake will create a tough and chewy pastry.'

It's good to use a small piece of soft pastry

rather than your fingers. You're dealing here against metal,

and it's very easy to pierce the pastry or tear it.

'Brendan's showstopper will see blackberries, nectarines

'and dragon fruit combined with vanilla creme patissiere,

rosemary-scented mascarpone cream and an elderflower glaze.

I particularly want to regain my ranking and my position,

having had two poor-quality bakes yesterday,

which wasn't a pleasant experience,

but I will today design a tart that will look stunning.

'Getting the duration right for the blind bake is crucial.

'The pastry's so thin, it can turn from under to overcooked in seconds.'

'Victoria failed to impress with her heavily flavoured signature bake.

'The showstopper could be her last chance to get the balance right.'

I don't want to do too many flavours.

I'd sooner do a few right, I think.

'She's making a tropical fruit tart,

'made with a macadamia nut praline, topped with a lime glaze.'

What's your base going to be? Is it a basic sweet pastry?

It's a short pastry which I'm... I'm adding, erm, black pepper to,

because I would quite like a warmth from the pastry.

You're into your peppercorns!

You've a lot of different aspects, and a lot of combinations.

Let's just hope that it works well.

Bakers, you might not believe this. You are over halfway.

Put the wind up 'em.

I've overworked it slightly, so...it's very crumbly

and it shouldn't be like that.

I'm just waiting for it to cool down before I pour the filling in,

but I'm worried that it's cracked a little bit

and the filling might get underneath.

But James doesn't just have his pastry case in the oven.

Well, this is a flavour combo that I first had in Paris,

and I was so blown away by the combo that I thought

I had to bring it up here at some point in the bake-off.

James' macarons will decorate his rose,

lychee and raspberry creme mascarpone tart.

-How many macarons do you need?

-Erm...not as many as that.

A wee bit over, actually. Not entirely happy.

Oh, they're delicious.

Mmm. Maybe this one because it's got a tail.

I don't think you want Mary to see that.

-No, Mary, that one did not exist.

-That's a genetic mutation.

It's gone now.

'While their pastry cases cool,

'the bakers have to focus on preparing their fruit.'

When you're looking at French patisserie and stuff,

it is quite often quite simple things.

It does tend to be one fruit and just one cream underneath.

But just done to look amazing. No pressure at all.

Sarah-Jane's French apple tart features a frangipane on top

of a secret ingredient straight out of her grandmother's cookbook.

But with a kick she'd probably approve of.

This is homemade jam.

It's blackberries, some apple

and a few tablespoons of Cassis in the end.

Just gives a really different colour, I think, to the...

otherwise the tart is quite white, cos it's all quite similar colours,

but it just adds a nice layer of colour and flavour as well.

Whilst Sarah-Jane has made an almond frangipane filling for her tart,

most bakers have opted for a French classic.

What I'm making is creme patissiere, which is French egg custard.

And you must keep it moving because it will curdle otherwise.

I'm just waiting for the creme patissiere to cool down,

so while that's cooling, I've got everything ready.

All the components are ready.

Just need to pop everything in.

Manisha's rum and tropical fruit tart

will see blackberries and pineapples sit on her creme patissiere.

But, between that and her coconut-flavoured pastry,

she's created a layer of coconut sponge

and she's going even further to secure her place in the competition.

In this pot, I'm making

the glaze to go on top

of my tropical tart.

I've added apricot jam, with some rum -

to bring out the coconut flavour.

Bakers, you have ten minutes before I get my hands on your fruity tarts.

OK.

Bakers, time's up. "Tartageddon" is nigh.

Move away from the tarts.

'The ten bakers have done all they can.

'But only nine can make it through,

'and be in with a chance of winning The Great British Bake Off.'

-Looks good, doesn't it?

-I'd have liked to have seen more colour on the pineapple.

Even if you'd used the blowtorch.

-It's baked, but it's wet.

-Yeah.

The texture of the frangipane,

it's a little as though it's curdled slightly.

-That apple and coconut is gorgeous.

-It's a lovely flavour.

Thank you very much.

I'm a bit unsure about the colour of this pastry.

A lot of water coming out of that fruit.

It's quite wet, right underneath, as well. It's damp.

Slight soggy bottom, there.

You put, I think, the grated rind of about four limes in there, didn't you?

-Yes.

-Very, very lime-y.

I think the flavours you picked to go with it are not strong enough

to fight any form of lime.

The fact that the lime "creme pat" that's underneath

is quite loose and quite sour,

I think it's all fighting.

OK.

You've gone to town. I like the little macaroons on the top. They're tricky to make.

It's a nice colour.

And it's a nice depth.

Good, strong bake.

This "creme pat" on the top has held reasonably well, as well.

I love that!

HE LAUGHS

That's like a Turkish Delight.

-Tastes like a rose cream.

-It's lovely.

I have never had a rose-flavoured tart before.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done, James.

It's crispy.

A nice, thin base.

-It's a rubbery base.

-I think the base could do

with a little more cooking.

I think that pastry's been handled a little too much.

A very professional-looking look.

The way that's been set out takes time, and I think it looks great.

It looks like jewels.

That pastry is absolutely delicious,

and it isn't too sweet for me, either,

because you've got it so thin.

It looks lovely, in a different shape.

We've had all round ones. We have one that's oblong.

Very regimented. Very Parisian in its look.

Nice colour on the side.

How's the base?

It's very greasy,

but it seems to be baked.

-The base actually looks a bit buttery, doesn't it?

-it does.

But a nice, thin layer of pastry. Let's see how it tastes.

I could do with a little bit more flavour

in the actual cream.

Cream probably needs a little bit of attention,

but it's good and it's solid. The base is very good.

Thank you.

I love the two-tone of colours.

The base looks pretty well done, as well.

You've certainly been original.

We like people to be original.

I've never had a tart

with a layer of sponge.

It's got a good bake on it.

-Nice pastry.

-Pastry-tastic.

-Crumbly.

I think you've ticked most of the boxes, to be honest.

Even the sponge is good.

I think that's just delicious.

Thank you.

What a picture.

I think it looks great. It's a platter of fruit.

It's something we've never seen before

with these very attractive Florentines around the outside.

It's got a nice bake underneath.

The whole combination is nice.

The creme patissiere could have been a little but thicker.

It tastes cooked-through.

It just needs to be a little more solid.

It looks good.

It looks very good.

The colour on the side looks pretty good, as well.

The pastry sounds crisp.

It's got a good bake on it, underneath.

Sarah-Jane, you've kept the apple crisp,

which is really nice, and the almond flavour's coming through, too.

-I've enjoyed that.

-Thank you!

It's very attractive. The colour on it looks pretty good, as well.

Look at that. Coming out, you can see all the layers on it.

-How about the bottom?

-Good base.

I can see this in the front of a patisserie window.

-Very clever.

-I like that.

-Mm!

There's so many textures going on in there.

You have the sharpness coming through the fruit, as well.

Very clever,

-and very original.

-Excellent.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Thanks, Stuart.

I think I've done enough

to get through to next week, hopefully.

But I wouldn't like to say who's up, really.

I think it's too close to call this week.

Well, I'm going home.

I think that's very clear.

It's a cumulative thing,

and I've been under pressure this weekend, particularly.

That's not very nice.

I've experienced stuff that the first few weekend, I didn't.

Very much conscious of it this weekend.

So I'm not going to let that happen to me again.

So it's getting past this weekend.

Who stands out this weekend

as possibly in the frame for Star Baker?

James had a wonderfully-flavoured tart.

And he bothered with those little, tiny macaroons.

It was just perfection, wasn't it?

For me, Stuart is up there.

What a turnaround!

I know. His flavour combinations have been fantastic.

He promised us the three layers of chocolates.

When you cut through, there it was.

If we look at the other end of the spectrum, and who's possibly facing the chop?

I would say Victoria's in trouble.

She did get a thin pastry, but it wasn't quite cooked.

The creme patissiere is all over the place,

and the fruits she chose were very, very wet.

Brendan had a bit of a disaster on his tarte tatin.

Today, he has picked it up. Does that qualify him to be in the bottom?

Maybe, because all the others are very good, as well.

Obviously, Brendan's had a very troublesome first day.

Victoria's had a very troublesome second.

-Good luck, Paul and Mary.

-We'll be there to do your dirty work, as per...

-Always.

Bakers, Mary and Paul have made their deliberations,

and they've decided who this week's Star Baker's going to be.

And they're giving it this week to the person who's displayed

superb flavours across the board,

fine technical skills,

and the best tank top in the room - it's James.

APPLAUSE

Well done.

But for one person, of course, every week,

the Bake Off journey has to end.

And the person who's going to be leaving us this week is...

..Victoria.

We'll be sorry for you to go, Victoria.

Well done.

Don't say that.

It's absolutely the right decision that my bake was not up to scratch,

and that's how it's judged.

Yeah, no case to answer. "Guilty, M'lud".

Of course I will keep baking.

It's a wonderful way of giving,

and of working with the creative side of yourself.

And anyone can do it.

It's great to get to live to fight another day.

Onwards and upwards, and all that.

This weekend has been a trigger now, a catalyst

to open up the competition.

So it will be very interesting

to see now how it will evolve.

It was worth the trip to Paris, don't you think?

To get Star Baker!

HE LAUGHS

Victoria's gone home today,

and I think she's brilliant.

If she's gone before me, I owe it to myself

and to Victoria, to be a bit more confident.

And not be so scared.

The dread about next week starts already.

And it's just like, "Ah!"

Next time...

Hello? Are you in there?

..we're ready for desserts.

I'm going to booze it up

-and get Mary a bit sloshed.

-That's tricky.

With spectacular...

-INDISTINCT

-..signature tortes.

It looks like a chocolate breeze block.

'Mary's toughest technical challenge yet.'

Creme caramel.

Oh, my days!

It's got a good wobble.

'And quadruple-layered...'

-Look at that!

-'..show-stopping meringues.'

-Are you feeling up for it today?

-Yeah.

-'Whose desserts will dazzle?'

-That's quite something.

-'And whose will be...?'

-Oh, that's hot!

'..their final course?'

It's leaning that way.

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