This week’s COOking highlighTs
Christmas confections: ‘Elf on the Shelf’ comes to life in new baking competition
There are all sorts of elves, but only some are talented enough to make cookies for Santa. This all-new series puts confectioners to the test, as “The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown” continues with new episodes, airing Sundays on Food Network.
Hosted by Duff Goldman (“Holiday Baking Championship”), this five-episode, Christmas-themed series boasts chef Kardea Brown (“Delicious Miss Brown”) and pastry chef Ashley Holt (“Bake Squad”) as judges, rounding out a team of Christmas-loving cooks.
“Santa and his loyal Scout Elves, along with the help of legendary cake master Duff Goldman, will challenge six teams of sweetmakers in a competition full of surprises. Each week, the teams must create edible showpieces that bring the holiday season to life,” a recent news release from Food Network describes — and with two challenges per episode, the season has already produced some crazy confectionary creations.
So far, teams have adopted their own Scout Elves, created personalized and edible shelves for them to enjoy, crafted show-stopping, snow globe showpieces, prepared for “elfie selfies” and tirelessly sewed the sugared seams of some runway-ready elf-fits — and the season’s just begun.
Descriptions given by the network share that upcoming episodes will see more Christmas
chaos, with a synopsis for the season’s third episode describing: “the Scout Elves want to play the 12 Days of Christmas at their elf concert tonight, but they accidentally mixed up all the lyrics! Host Duff Goldman tasks the remaining teams with figuring out their jumbled lyrical prompts and delivering a twisted-up 12 Days of Elfmas showpiece.”
During the fourth, “host Duff Goldman revs up the teams as they create an edible sleigh design that will wow Santa and show off their magical skills. Then, two teams go head-to-head in the Santa Showdown by creating inventive snow forts.”