GBBO Patisserie week.

image_pdfDownload recipeimage_printPrint recipe

GBBO reached the Quarterfinal stage with Patisserie week. This is always a challenging week!

The first challenge was to make Cream horns of ruff, puff or flaky pastry. I love cream horns and these are one of my first bakes I remember from my childhood in India. We would get these from my favourite bakery and I still make sure I get some of these when I go back home. I have the recipe for these in my upcoming book ‘The Cardamom Trail‘.

CreamHorn

Ian made the horns using plain and chocolate rough puff pastry. The judges thought that the pastry was a bit raw and the cherry liquor too strong. Baker Paul opted for coffee and banana flavoured horns which sounded good to Paul but he seemed annoyed by the bananas not being strong enough!

Flora was more focused on her toppings rather than the bakes. Her looking around for a freezer brought back some scary memories from last year’s Bake off! Tamal and Nadiya got great reviews from the judges.

For the technical challenge the bakers were asked to bake 9 of Mary’s Mokatines. After what seemed like a very stressful time for the bakers Paul came last as his sponge was not baked well and Nadiya won the round for her neat, well baked Mokatines. Nadiya ended up having an Out of body experience while Paul sounded confused about how well he had done!

The showstopper was –religieuse à l’ancienne, a choux mountain in the shape of a Nun! I love eclairs and would love to give this a go.

Nadiya went for candy inspired flavours which didn’t go down well but the judges liked the pastry and construction which earned her a star baker for the second time.

Paul’s use of banana extract raised some eyebrows and he had to leave the tent this week. I was sad to see him go as he gave GBBO some of its most creative bakes. His Bread Lion will always be remembered. I can remember the excitement and nerves I felt at this age last year. I am really looking forward to the Semi-Finals next week.

Festival of Food and Drink

Last weekend I was asked to be part of the Festival of Food and Drink at Clumber park. Its a great venue for a fun family day out and I loved doing my demo there.


A day in hospital canteen

I had a chance to take over the local hospital canteen for a day to raise money for the children’s Rainbow Ward. The event was organised by The Isle of Thanet Gazette and East Kent Hospitals Charity. I was quite excited and nervous at the same time to be cooking for so many people. The day was a great success and everyone loved the food. I felt really privileged to be a part of the charity event.

You can subscribe here to follow my blog.

Food with Chetna

Masala Paneer, is full of flavours and yet very simple to make. I love Paneer and the its versatility. This is my go to recipe for a quick meal.

It can be adapted in many delicious ways and you can experiment with the flavours. This goes very well with all kind of Flat breads, rice, sandwiches and wraps. Try this recipe to make an authentic Indian curry. You can also use the leftovers for lunch next day!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Food with Chetna for more exciting recipes and ideas.

Leave a comment