The ovens are preheated, the whisks are poised, and the scent of gingerbread is probably already permeating the air (or at least it is in my imagination). Holiday Baking Championship returns with its eleventh season, kicking things off with “Holiday Open House.” Twelve new bakers enter the arena, ready to impress judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman, and Nancy Fuller with their festive creations. And from the looks of it, this season’s opening challenges involve a rather intriguing mix of sweet and savory.
First up, the preheat challenge involves a twist on a holiday classic: cheese ball desserts. Yes, you read that correctly. Cheese balls, but make it dessert. Host Jesse Palmer has tasked the bakers with incorporating cheese, nuts, or dried fruit into their cheese ball creations, which already sounds like a culinary tightrope walk. I’m picturing some interesting flavor combinations, and potentially some outright disasters. The main challenge continues the host-gifting theme, with the bakers creating large-scale holiday bark desserts. “Large-scale” and “bark” in the same sentence suggest these won’t be your average chocolate-covered pretzel rods. I’m anticipating elaborate edible structures, possibly involving architectural feats of tempered chocolate and strategically placed sprinkles. The potential for both triumph and disaster is high, and that, my friends, is what makes this show so reliably entertaining.
Holiday Baking Championship: Holiday Open House (Season 11 Episode 1) premieres Monday, November 4, 2024 at 8:00 PM on Food Network.
