For Christmas, my father once gave my a cookbook filled with International Recipes and I always found myself attracted to the baking ones from different countries. But I think the most exotic thing that I made from it was a pecan pie.

Signature Bake

The Bake: 24 identical and portable hand pie with a complimentary condiment

The Time: 2 hours

What I would bake: I would probably make a char-sui hand pie as I just the flavour of it in a char-sui bao. As for a dipping sauce, maybe a hoisin chilli sauce topped with green onions. And looks like Mengling and I are on the same wavelength.

What the contestants bakes and judges thoughts:

Like last week's showstoppers, everyone of the bakers have hand pies that I definitely would want to eat. But I would single out Timothy's and Devon's as ones I definitely want to eat right now.

Timothy: Spring roll hand pies with sweet and sour sauce. Bruno noted that the pastry was a bit wet as it wasn't completely sealed and Rochelle noted that Timothy's pie lacked oomph.

Megan: Hamburger hand pies (stuffed with three different kinds of meat -Alberta beef, bacon, moose meat) with special sauce and served with French Fries. Bruno thinks the bake is inconsistent but Rochelle loved the flavours and thinks Megan should bottle the sauce and sell it. Rochelle thought the filling was dry and the pastry crumbly and suggested Megan should have perhaps done a brioche dough.

Devon: Bibimbap hand pies with spicy Korean ketchup. Rochelle thought the pastry was chewy but Devon represented Korean flavours well.

Sadiya: Beef Fatayer with Tamarind Chutney. Bruno called the bake beautiful and thought the meat was well seasoned but a bit on the dry side.

Sachin: Pork and pea samosas with mint chutney. Rochelle called it rustic. Rochelle thinks Sachin's pie is very spicy but Bruno loved the flavour.

Mengling: Pork Xian Bing with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce. Rochelle says the flavours are sensational but Bruno thought it was a bit doughy.

Andrei: Mini koulibiaka with cucumber relish with cucumber relish. Bruno said the bake was perfect and the finish product beautiful.

Technical Challenge

The Bake: 12 Daifuku Mochi

The Time: 2 hours

How I would have fared: I have never heard of this. I've heard of mochi and I liked it but I thought it was a sort of ice cream dessert. First off, I would never make this because of the red bean paste (yuck) so I would fail miserably at this challenge and would come in last.

How our bakers fared:

7. Mengling

6. Devon

5. Andrei

4. Sadiya

3. Sachin

2. Timothy

  1. Megan

The Showstopper Challenge

The Bake: Italian cookie sculpture. Need two different kinds of cookies (ex: biscotti and ladyfingers)

The Time: 4 hours.

What I would bake: One of my cookies would be a chocolate-almond cantucci and the other would be an orange-cardamom S-cookie. As for what sculpture I would do with these, it would probably be a replica of my family's hockey pool trophy with the s-cookie forming the structure and the bowl of the trophy with the cantucci acting as the hockey sticks that form an H that is between the bowl and the base. I might do florentines as plaques.

What the contestants bakes and judges thoughts:

I am continually amazed and how imaginative all of Megan's bakes are and this week is no different.

Sachin: Egyptian Sphinx with an anise biscotti pyramid base and a lemon s-cookie sphinx with fondant gold hieroglyphs. Bruno is disappointed that it is small in scale and Rochelle called it underwhelming. Bruno loved the flavours and the texture of the cookies.

Andrei: Fish in the ocean scene with ricotta cookie, orange chocolate amaretti, vanilla pizzelle and polenta s-cookies. Bruno called it simple and Rochelle said the pizzelle was light. Bruno said Andrei produced 4 perfect cookies with amazing flavours

Devon: Southwest cookie scene with savoiardi, amaretti and s-cookie dough. Rochelle liked the attention to detail. Rochelle also felt the cactus dough was stodgy but felt that Devon did challenge himself and it showed.

Sadiya: Ludo board with coloured rainbow cookie and s-cookie game pieces. For a showstopper, Bruno felt it was restrained. Sadiya admits to being scared of this challenge. Bruno said the cookie was underbaked.

Timothy: Waiting for the bus with anisette walls, florentine windows and biscotti wheels. Rochelle loved the lemon flavour inside bus.

Megan: Northern lights scene with maple walnut biscotti, lemon s-cookie and chocolate ricotta cookie dough. Bruno calls it beautiful. Bruno liked the lemon flavour of the s-cookie and Rochelle liked the biscotti. Bruno ends his judging by calling it a great showstopper.

Mengling: Beenhive sculpture made with s-cookie dough, florentines and biscotti. Rochelle thought the presentation was cute and the s-cookie dough well baked.

In the running for Star Baker: Andrei, Megan

In danger of going home: No names were mentioned

Star Baker: Megan

Going Home: Sadiya

Am a bit surprised that Sadiya went home but I think she played it too safe this week. I still think Megan and Andrei are heading to the final and now I am thinking it will probably be Sachin being the third. It is pastry week next week and something I am pretty decent at.