'The Great British Baking Show' Season 8, Episode 2 Recap: Biscuit Week

Oh, the news outside is frightful, but the tent is so delightful. And since quarantine means there's nowhere to go, it's a good thing it's time for The Great British Baking Show. As per usual, this season is starting with the Major Trio in the baking arcana. Last week was Cake; this week, Biscuits, and (spoiler alert) next week, the bakers will tackle Bread. And the tent gods smile on as Noel and Matt remind us that for Netflix viewers, they're not even called biscuits. But then again, Cookie Week doesn't have the same ring to it.

This week's Signature challenge is Florentines: 36 of them, and they must involve chocolate (either dipped, coated, or otherwise infused with in some way). For those who might not be familiar with them, Florentines are not a soft, chewy cookie; they're a baked good that puts the "Biscuit" in "Biscuit Week." They are crunchy and usually filled with nuts and candied cherries. That's because they come from the same portion of the Italian world that gave us the biscotti. In the U.K., they're vaguely thought of as a Christmas treat.

Let's see which bakers are better in the Biscuit portion than the Cake one. As always, the Signature is judged on a pass/fail metric.