Duff Goldman Just Told Us His All-Time Favorite Dessert

You may have been watching pastry chef Duff Goldman judging desserts on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, but off-screen, he’s been prepping and making ahead his own favorite dishes for the holidays.

In this exclusive interview, we chatted with Goldman about his make-ahead dessert tips, as well as his all-time favorite dessert and the holiday side his mom makes just for him every year. Plus, we asked him for ways to give back this season as he’s partnered with No Kid Hungry to help end childhood hunger.

What’s your all-time favorite dessert?

I just love ice cream. There’s an endless variety of ice cream. There’s so much you can do with it, there’s so many different kinds. Cold, smooth, creamy and sweet—it just doesn’t get better than ice cream. You can also tell a lot about a pastry chef by the ice cream they make.

Favorite flavor of ice cream?

It’s tough to say, it’s like picking your favorite Zeppelin album. What mood are you in? I think generally I’ll probably go for chocolate-based ice creams over other kinds. I love rocky road. I like stuff in my ice cream, so rocky road or Ben and Jerry’s. I also like crunch and I like cones with my ice cream even if it’s not in a cone. If I get in a bowl, I put a cone on top so I can smash it up.

Since the holiday season is here, do you have any advice or tips for first-time hosts?

Do everything that you can do ahead of time. If you’re going to be making pies, make all your pie dough weeks ahead and put them in the freezer. If you’re making cookies, most cookie doughs are pretty freezer-friendly, so you can make your cookie dough, portion it out and get it in the freezer. That way when it comes time to actually make this massive dinner for everybody, all you have to do is throw that stuff in the oven, it’s done. You’re not trying to make a turkey but also trying to bake cookies. Nobody wants giblets in their pie.

Personally, what’s your favorite dish to make ahead of time?

Pie, definitely pie. To make pie dough, you have to be in a very calm, peaceful mindset. You have to follow directions to do it right, and to do that, you really need a clean kitchen and no distractions. You just want to really focus on your pie, so get your pie dough done and shaped in the pans and wrap it up in the freezer.

Is there anything on the holiday table that’s non-negotiable? Favorite mains or sides?

My mom makes a special oyster stuffing just for me because nobody else eats it. It’s amazing. She’ll usually make a pretty big stuffing, and then she’ll make a little one on the side with oysters in it just for me. I love oysters.

Do you put ice cream on your pie?

It’s a good question. It’s funny because I never think about it, but when it happens, I’m like, “This is so good.” Really, I want it on a cobbler because you don’t usually eat pie hot, and I think the magic happens when the dish is hot with cold ice cream on it. A nice piece of cobbler or crumble or something that’s been warmed up in the oven and then you put the ice cream on it, that’s pretty great.

Do you have any food hot takes? A least favorite food that you personally never cook with?

Bell peppers ruin everything. They make everything taste like bell peppers, and they’re just gross. It doesn’t matter what you make. If you put a little tiny bit of bell pepper in it, everything tastes like bell peppers and unfortunately, bell peppers taste disgusting.

Any underrated favorite ingredients you think more people should have in their pantry?

For baking, almond extract. Almond extract in desserts is kind of like shallots in savory dishes. It’s not that you want something to taste like shallots, but there’s just something about shallots that sort of give things a refined flavor. For almond extract, you want to use a teeny, tiny, little bit, it tastes more professional. Especially cherry pie; cherry pie filling 100% needs almond extract. It doesn’t taste right if it’s not in there.

As you’re partnered with No Kid Hungry this holiday season, what are some ways our readers can get involved?

The best way to get involved is to go to NoKidHungry.org and see what’s going on in your neck of the woods. They do events all over the place, and if there isn’t anything happening where you are, there’s lots of different ways to donate and there’s a lot of different ways you can volunteer.