Holiday Classics and Favorites 847

~f1J Maple Whipped Cream

Aapproximately 2 cups (480 ml)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) pure maple syrup

11/ 4 cups (300 ml) heavy cream

Gingerbread Houses

your w ay from one side to th e other, back to front, so that all of th e

bre ad w ill absorb the mixture. .

6. Add a second laye r of bread slices covering the entire pan in the

sam e m anner as before. Pour th e rem aining custard mi xture over the

bread using the same method as before .

7. Place a sheet of baking paper on top 0: th e pud ding. Place a pan

on top (just slightly sm aller than th e baking pan so it w ill fit agains t the j

top of the pudding) and w eigh dow n the top w ith cans. Let sit at room

temperature for 2 ho urs or, bet ter yet, refrigerate overnight.

8. Remove the w eights, pan, and baking paper. Pour the heavy

cream evenly over th e pudding. Sprinkle the remaining cranberries over

th e top (still reserving 1/2 cup [120 rnl] to use in serving). Distribute the

Streusel Topping evenly over the pudding.

9. Bake covered at 3500 P (175°C) for 30 m inu tes. Uncover an d

continue baking approximately 30 minutes longer or until the custard is

set and the pud ding is a pleasant golde n brown on top. Let cool to room

temperature. Cut in to twelve servings. Place a portion of the Cranberry

Coulis in a piping bottle, adjusting the consistency first if nec essary.

Reserve.

10. Presentation: Place a serving of Pum pkin Bread Pud ding in th e

center of a dessert plate . Pipe Cranberry Coulis on the base of the plate

around the dessert. Sprinkle some of the reserved dried cranberries in

the sauce. Sift powdered sugar lightly over the cranb erries and the pud­

ding . Place a dollop of Maple Whipp ed Cream on top of the pudding.

T hiS also makes a nice topping for pumpkin'pie.

1. Add th e syrup to the heavy cream and whip until very soft peaks

form.

2. Refrigerate until needed.

Exactly when the custo m of building gingerb read ho uses at Christmas­

time began is no t clear, but w e do know that it started after the Grimm

brothers retold the tale of Hansel and Gretel in the nineteenth century.

Building and displaying a small gingerb read house is a traditional part

o f Christmas for m any families in Sw eden. It can be a project for th e

whole family; the ch ildren not onl y love to he lp assem ble the hou se

bu t also to tear it apart after Christmas. A ginge rbread h ouse is also a

typical part of the seasonal decor in the pas try shop. These are usually

large, very elaborate creations that ligh t up at night and are displayed in

848 Holiday Classics and Favorites

the shop windows. Smaller simple houses are mad e for sale such as ::.:'

Santa's Gingerbread Chalet or a smaller version of the Traditional C::-.'

gerbread House. If the hou ses are made in an assembly-line fashic.:

they can be very profi table for your business, and they give the shop "­

feeling of old-fashioned Christmas spirit.

Q" Traditional 'A Gingerbread House

one recip e Gingerbread Cookies dough (page 818) (see step one)

red cellophane two recipes Royal Icing (page 1019) 1/4 cup (60 ml) egg whites

one-half recipe Boiled Sugar Basic Recipe (page 936)

Marzipan Santa (page 869)

Marzipan Children (page 865)

powdered sugar

NOTE 1: Thegingerbread house can be fu lly assembled using Royal Icing (keep the icing fairly stiff) rather than BoiledSugar toattach the pieces, but you must doso instages, sup­porting the sidesat the beginning and letting

them setfor several hours before adding the roof, chimney, andbalconv, which must alsobe supporteduntildry. At that point the house

mustbeallowedto dry overnight before deco­

rating. It is much more practical touse sugar, which makesit possible for you to decorate and {tnish the house immediately afrer

assembling it.

NOTE 2: It is notnecessary to havea light insidea smallerhouse, asit is a purely decora­

tive option, but a house made the size of the

larger version specified in the platform instruc­

tionsshouldalways be equipped witha light. It

isnot only decorative but italso keeps the house warm and prevents thegingerbread fromget­

ting sofr andeventually collapsing asit absorbs

moisture from the air. The light should therefore

be turned on at least once every day for a few hours orlonger during the evening and night.

l realize that this thirty-three-step-plus project may appearoverwhelming tc .: novice at gingerbreadhouse construction, but I can assure you that every rea­

dozens of nonprofessional students have constructed this same house during the one-day gingerbread house workshops I conduct each Christmas. Afrer t W'L'

hoursof lecture and demonstration covering assembly and decorating, each stu­dent isgiven the baked pieces for one house, as wellas icing, candies, other dec­orating materials, and a Marzipan Santa. Afrer three hours of fun (and heli:

when needed), each student takes his orher beautiful creation home. If vc.,

don't feel you are up to this model without that kind of head start, try Santa 5

Gingerbread Chalet. It can be finished in about two hours (even without .?

teacherin the room).

The decora ting instructions in this recipe are for making a fairly ornate house (which could be changed and simplifiedaccording to yourown imagina­

tion) measuring approximately 8 inches wide, 10 inches long, and 11 inches high (20 X 25 X 27-5 em) withoutcounting the chimney. You can enlarge the templates accordingly to make this size, or reduce or enlarge them to anv siz e: )Iou like to create a smaller orlarger house (if you are makinga largerhouse, SCi

the information fo llowing this recipe/ page858). Of course, you must enlarge or reduce all of the templates equally so they will fit together. The roofpieces

should always be large enough for a one-inch overhang on all four sides. Smaller houses limit the decorating possibilities quite a bit, which makes then,

suitable for decorating in an identical layout.

1. Make th e Ginge rbread Cookies dough, replacing the bu tt er w ith margarine and increasing the flour by 6 ounces (170 g). Co ve r and place in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Make a platform base measuring 12 by 16 inches (30 X 40 em) from tw o 1/4-inch (6-mm) sh eets of corr ugated cardboard glued

together. Or make a reusable base from plywood (directions follow the recipe).

3. Enlarg e th e gingerbread hous e templates in Figures 16- 17

through 16-22 to the size specified in the introduction (or as desired:

th en trace and cop y onto sturdy cardboard (the type used to m ar framed artwo rk is an excellent choice). Cut the templates out using a.

utility knife. 4. Work the Gingerbread dou gh smo oth w ith your hands . Roll

out a portion at a time to 1/ 4 inch (6 mm ) thick (or slightly thinner for a

small house), using as little flour as possible. Place the pieces on she et

pans lined w ith baking paper and reserve in the refrigerator. .j

Holiday Classics and Fa vorites 849

5. When the dough is finn, place the templates on top and cut out

the pieces, using a paring knife or utility knife to cut the w idows and door:

• Cut two identical pieces for the front and back except cut one

with two windows and the other with one window and a door (Figure

16-17). When you cut out the piece for the door, save it to attach later.

• Cu t two identical long pieces for the sides (Figure 16-18) .

.. Cu t out the center support piece (Figure 16-19) if making a large

house (see page 858).

o Make a balcony (Figure 16-20) to attach later to the front of the

house . Cut two of each piece; the two long pieces will be the front side

panel and the floor, and the short pieces will be the sides. Decorate the

balcony pieces by pressing horizontal lines into the dough with the

back of a knife, then cut small hearts out of the pieces.

• Choose one of the chimney designs (or use one of each as shown

in the photograph in the color insert). The one attached to the point of

the roof (Figure 16-21 ) makes a small house look bigger. The other

design (Figure 16-22) goes on the slope of the roof. Cut out two sets of

either design (four pieces total per chimney). If you would like to make

a brick des ign in the dough for the chimney, do it before you cut the

pieces. Roll out a piece of scrap dough left from cutting th e sides large

enough for all four pieces and lis inch (3 mm) thick. Use a straight piece

of the cardboard used to make the templates, or a ruler with an edge 1116

(2 mm) thick, and press parallel lines into the dough every 1/4 inch

(6 mm) . Cut a strip of cardboard 1/4 inch (6 mm) wide and use th e end

to press lines at a 90° angle to the parallel lines, staggering the rows to

simulate bricks. Place the dough in the refrigerator if it has become soft

while you were "laying the bricks ," then cut out your chimney pieces.

• Make a template that measures 8 inches on each side, 13 inches

across the top and 111/2 inches across the bottom (20 Xl32.5 X 28.7 cm)

if using the other templates at the size specified in the introduction.

Increase or decrease the size of the template appropriately if using

another size. Make one of the sides straight (at a 90° angle to the top

an d bottom) and the other side slanted. Use the template to cut out two

pieces for the roof remember to invert the template when you cut the

second piece so that the point of the overhang w ill match up later. Save

all of the scrap dough.

• Choose one of the two fence des igns: either the ranch-style

shown in the drawing on page 787 or the picket fence as seen in the

color insert. For the ranch-style fence use scrap pieces andlor reroll

scrap dough and cut out fence posts and planks. Make the plank pieces

slightly bent and uneven for a rustic look. For the picket fence make

two 12-inch (30-cm) and two 18-inch (45-cm) fence sections following

the directions in steps six and seven on page 859 in Santa 's Chalet .

e- Use your imagination to cut the other scrap pieces to.create yo ur

ow n person alized house. For exam ple, you can make shutters and win­

dowsills for the windows, and extra fence posts can be turned into a

stack of fireplace logs.

850 Holiday Classics and Favorites

• To decorate the roof , roll out a piece of gingerbread dough to lis

inch (3 mm) thick and cut out twelve Ih -inch (1.2-cm) wide strips the

length of the roof; you actually only need eight to ten (four or five on

each side, depending on the size of the house), but it is alwaysa good idea to make a few extra. Like the ranch-style fence planks, the strips for the roof should be bent so the y are slightly uneven and resemble

pieces cut from a tree that w as not perfectly straight.

• Cut out four pieces to trim the edges of the roof overhang mak­ing them 7 inches long and 1 inch w ide (17.5 X 2.5 cm). Place them on a sheet pan and use a small heart cu tte r to cut ou t h earts along the

length of each piece (they are too hard to move to the sheet pan after

cutting the h earts). Make two left-sided and two right-sided . (Youmay

'NoI\.ttel ID.o.~~ ~~tlo.'i. elt~~'i.~ "Cl~c.o.\)''i.~ ~~'9 c-c.i:\."cree.c.¥" e.c.'S\.\'j). • Rollout more dough slightly thinner, 1116 inch (2 mrn), and cut out

hearts using a 1- andlor P /4-inch (2.5-4.5-cm) heart cutter. The amount needed will depend on how you plan to decorate the roof . As an alter­nati ve you can omit the roof planks and use the sma ller size hearts as shingl es covering the whole roof (do not forget to start at the bot tom edge of the roof ).

• You can either create a tree by tying small pieces of pine to a dowel, and then drilling a hole in the cardboard or plywood (after the

platform has been iced) to secure the tree trunk, or you can cut out large and small trees from scrap dough using the templates from either Santa's Gingerbread Chalet (Figure 16-23C, page 862) or the template for the Cookie Christmas Trees (Figure 16-1 6, page 843), enlarging eith er of them as desired.

6. Bake the pieces at 375°F (190°C) until they are dark brown and

done. Make sure that the larger pieces are baked all the way through,

and avoid placing large and small pieces on th e same pan so you will not have to move them before they are cool. Set the pieces aside to cool completely.

7. When the gingerbread has cooled, trim the edges of the side and roof pieces so they fit together as well as possible. Treat the edges

of the chimney and balcony piece s in the sam e way. Woodworking files and no. 50 to no . 80 grade sandpaper w ork well for this, but a ser­rated paring knife or utility knife can also be used . Be careful as you

trim the pieces not to press too har d or they can break. Tum the pieces upside-down.

8. Cut pieces of red cellophane slightly larger than each of the windows. Reserve.

9. Soften 2 cups (480 rnl) of Royal Icing by add ing the extra I14 cup

(60 ml) of egg whites . Spread a thin film of icing over the back of the

trimmed pieces to protect them from moisture, using the side of a par­

ing knife to force the icing into the pores of th e gingerbread . (This is

absolutely necessary if you are not using a light inside the house, and still a good idea even if you do . If you are using any gingerbread figures

or trees standing out in the "garden," the y should be given the sam e

Holiday Classics and Favorites 85 '!

tre atment to prevent them from collapsing.) Ice the back of the side house pieces one at a time and immediately press the cellop hane

squares over the windows while the icing is wet. Once all of the win­

do ws are installed, place some of the icing in a piping bag an d pipe additional icing at the edge of the cellophane square s. Use yo ur finger­

tip to sm ooth that icing out to the icing on the ginge rbread so the cel­

lophane pieces are secure . Leave all of the pieces upside-do wn un til

th ey are dry to the touch. 10. Tum the front, side, and back pieces right-side up . Pipe Roya l

Icing (not the thinned po rtion) on the pieces making any design yo u w ish arou nd the outline of the door and windows an d aro und the

edges, using a piping bag with a small opening. Set aside with the roof

pieces . 11. To assemble the chimney, pipe a th in line of Royal Icing next to

the edge of the long sides on the two w ider chimney pieces. Fit the other two pieces between them, adjusting so the edges line up prop­

erly. Set aside to dry. 12. To assemble the balcony, pipe a thin line of Royal Icing at the

front top edge of the bottom balcony piece (with out he arts) an d glue

the long front piece to the bottom. Repeat to attach the two sho rt sides . Set the balcony aside to dry wi th th e other pieces for at least 2 ho urs or, preferably, overnigh t before continuing.

To assemble the house 13 . Draw lines on th e platform to show exactly where th e house

will be attached.

14. Boil th e sugar to the hard crack stage , 310°F (155°C). 15. Use a knife to spread a little of the sugar on the edges of one

side piece and th e front piece . Quickly attach th ese tq the platform and to each other (you can use the help of two extra hands at thi s point).

Attach the remaining side and the back of the ho use in the sam e way. Be careful as you complete th ese steps no t to get any boiled sugar on th e w indow s or on the front of the pieces , Place a por tion of the Royal Icing in a pas try bag w ith a no, 3 (6-mm) plain tip . Pipe a string of icing

along all four inside seams , "floor to ceiling," for extra support. 16. Test the roof pieces to ma ke certain the y fit. If not, trim the

edges of the frame on the platform as needed. Carefully, bu t quickly, spread sugar on the underside of the roo f pieces in a l -inch (2.5-cm) band where the roof will conne ct w ith the sides of the house. Attac h

the pieces one at a time, holding each one until secure .

1 7. Check tha t the angle of the chimney will fit w ith th e angle of the roof so th e chimney stands straight. Attach the chimney to the

roof, using sugar to secure it. Take a good look at th e chimney from all

sides to be certain it is standing straigh t.

18 . Attach the balcony w ith boiled sugar.' Pipe string s of Royal

Icing over the three seams where th e balcony meets the house.

852 Holiday Classics and Favorites

19. Adjust th e consis tency of the remaining Royal Icing if neces­sary until it is spreadable but not runny.

20. Spread enough icing on the roof to completely cove r the gin­gerbre ad, including the sides of the ch imney if you have not made "bricks." Smooth over an d fill in any cracks w here the ch im ney is

attached to the roof but do not make the icing comp letely smooth; it

sho uld look a little rustic. (O r you can leave the plain chimney w ithout icing on the sides, and then decorate it wi th som e piped icing later as you would with the brick-style chimney.) Try to make the icing "hang over" the bottom edge of th e roof, then make icicles by immediat ely pulling th e icing down randomly across the sides. If the icing falls off in

chunks instead, it is too soft. Using a little less will help comp ensate. 21 . Attach the roo f planks on each side, pressing them lightly into

the icing.

22. Using the Royal Icing in th e pastry bag, fasten row s of the gin­gerbread hearts between th e roo f planks wi th small dots of icing.

23. Use your imagination to decorate the platform: Using some baked scrap pieces, make one or two small hills on th e platform by glu­

ing the pieces together w ith Royal Icing. Spread a cov ering of icing ove r

the hills. Spread a th ick covering of icing over the entire platform

around the house. Stack your firew ood pieces in a pile. Use a palette knife to clear a path through the snow leading up to front door.

24. To build the ranch-style fence, use a melon-ball cutter to scrape aw ay small spots of Royal Icing 112 inch (1.2 em) away from th e edge of the platform and approximately 4 inches (10 ern) apart all around the

perimeter of the platform . Do not forget to make an opening for a gate . Dip th e bottom of the fence posts in th e boiled sugar (w arm the sugar first if necessary) and attach th em to the platfo rm at the ma rkings made in th e icing. Mak e sure th e posts are stand ing straight . Glue the fence

plan ks to the posts w ith Royal Icing att aching one at the top of the posts and another halfway down.

25. If you are using the picket fence , use a fine saw or a serrated knife to carefully trim th e pieces to the proper length for yo ur design. Place them 112 inch (1.2 em) away from the edge of th e platform, push ­

ing them into the soft icing. Using the icing in the pastry bag, pipe icing to connect the fence pieces at the corners.

26. Apply icing trim by piping from top to bottom at each corner

of th e ho use . Pipe icing on the short sid es of the roo f covering the expo sed gingerbread. Attach a heart (or pretzel as shown in the photo­

graph) at the very top of the house on each side . Carefully push the

four roo f trim pieces with the heart cutout s in place in th e icing.

27. Pipe a line of icing along the bottom of the balcony and use the

tip of the pastry bag to pull the icing down into icicles as yo u did on the long sides of the roof.

28. If you are using trees made of pine, drill holes in the platfo rm where you want the trees, making the holes the same size as the dow­

els, then secure the trees using Royal Icing. Or place gingerbread trees

here and there, and maybe a few gingerbread deer among them.

___ _ _ _ Iri·i OII, (l ~~:~'"i'~ .~~·~d Y U·.Jl_.!'~_._-----,::~.:....___ _ _ ;; r_'",

29. Attac h the door in an open position, If you hav e made a marzi­pan figure to stand in the doorway, put him or he r in place first.

30. Pipe around the fence posts to cover any exposed sugar if nec ­

essary. Apply snow by piping icing on top of the fence posts and planks (be sure the planks of the ranch -style fence are dry or the we ight of the snow will m ake them fall off), around the top of the chimney, around the top edge of the balcony, on top of the firewood, and on the ginger ­bread trees . Dot icing here and there on top of the branches of the pine

tree if you are using one, and on any other exposed part of the land ­scape.

31. Fasten some cotton inside the chim ney to simulate smoke. Place the Marzipan Santa in the garden and th e Marzipan Child ren on the balcony.

32. Dust the whole ho use and garden with powdered sugar, blow ­

ing at the same time to make some windblown "snow" adhere to the sides of the house.

33. Stand back and enjoy your masterpiece ! (If yo ur house is equipped with electricity, plug in th e light inside first.) A time­consuming and elaborat e house like this one does not have to be thrown away after the holidays, but can be covered with a plastic bag, stored in a dry area, and used again next year (perhaps with some ren ­ovation or repair ).

Building a plywood platform and connecting a light inside the house

These instructions are for making a platform for a larger house mea sur­ing 11 inches wide, 15 inche s long, and 15 inches high w ithout the chimney (27.5 X 27.5 X 37.5). If you are making the regular size house

from the main recipe but w ant to m ake a plywood platform, ma ke it 12 by 16 inch es (30 X 40 em) instead .

1. Cut a rectangle measuring 16 by 24 inches (40 X 60 em) out of

Ih -inch (1.2-cm) plywood. Cut out a square opening approximately 3 by 3 inche s (7.5 X 7.5 em), large enough to insert a small light bulb (and your fingers), should yo u need to replace the light. To use the space on

th e platform in the most efficient way, I recommend tha t you place the

house in one corner, w ith the long sides of the house parallel to the long sides of the plat form , and with the front door facing the open, gard en area. For the best effect with th e light, the opening should be cut so that the bulb is just about in th e center of the ho use once it is assembled.

Keep th e locat ion of the house in mind when cutting the opening.

2. Cu t out four small pieces of plywood from your scraps and glue or nail one und er each comer to raise th e platform and allow space for

the electrical cord.

3. Screw a light bulb holder to the plywood next to the opening and atta ch a cord th at will just reach to one side of the platform. Attach

a male plug to the end of the cord. (It is more practical to use a short

cord like this attached to the house itse lf and then combine it w ith

," ~ ":i

, ...-;.

.'.,;:

- - -

854 Holiday Classics and Favorites

r: I I I I I I -

.., I I I I I I - - ­ - - ­- - -- ----- ---_ ......_----\~-----~-

II

0-0 DD [j] CJ DO

I IIII

IIIII

FIG URE 16- 17 The template used as a guide to cut out the (rant and back of the Gingerbread House; make one piece with two windows and the other wi th one window and a door (indicated by the curved dotted line) . The dotted lines on the second story indicate the placement ofthe balcony later.

Holiday Classics and Favorites 855

DO DO DO DO DO DO

FIG URE 16-18 The template used as a guide to cut the sides of the Gingerbread H ouse; cut two identical pieces

1"0" I

.,- ...

856 Holiday Classics and Favorites

FIG URE 16-19 The template used as a guide in cutting a center support piece for large houses

Holiday Classics and Favorites 857

FIG URE 16- 21 The templates used for cutting the chimney pieces for a chimney that attaches to the point ofthe root cut two of each piece

FIGURE 16-20 The templates used as a guide wh en cutting the balcony pieces; cut two of each, cutting hearts out ofonly one of the longer pieces

i

FIG URE 16- 22 The templates used for cutting the chimne y pieces for a chimn ey that attaches to the slope of the root cut two of each piece, making one of the pieces show n on the left side of the drawing only as large as the top part of the drawing above the dotted line

858 Holiday Classics and Favorites

w hatever leng th extension cord is necessary so you will not have a long

cord in your way, and you can use the same plat form man y times in

diffe ren t locations by changing only the extension cord. )

4. Draw lines on the platform exactly where you want to attach

the house (rem em ber that , ideally, the ligh t at tachment should be in the

cen ter) . Screw a 15-25-watt bulb in to th e holder; plug it in, and test to

ma ke sure it works before yo u bu ild the ho use. Place a piece of foil over

the bulb w hile you are working.

Special instructions for larger houses If you are making a larger house, such as the dimensions given in the

platform ins tructions, cut out a piece to make a cen ter su pp orting wall

(to fit acros s th e width of the house) w he n you cut the other ginger ­

bread pieces (Figure 16- 19, page 856) . For thi s size hou se you w ill need

two recipes of Gingerbread Cookies dough and three recipes of Roya l

Icing. Increase th e size of the fence, trees, and other decorations appro ­

priately.

Gfj) Santa's Gingerbread ~ Chalet

1 ounce (30 g) bread flour

1 pound, 2 ounces (510 g) or one ­quarter rec ipe Gingerbread Cooki es dough (page 818)

one-half recipe Royal Icing (page 1019)

1 teaspoon (5 ml) egg white

one -quarter recipe Boiled Sugar Basic Recipe (page 936)

one Marzipan Sant a's head (see note 1)

melted coating cho colate

gingerbread deer (optional)

powdered suga r

NOTE 1: To make the Marzipan Santa's head

you will/teed:

... one t/i-ounce ('/5-g) piece of

untintedMarzipan for the headand beard

• one 1/4-ounce (7-g) piece of light pink Marzipan for the face

• one i/s-ounce (10-gJ piece of red M arzipan forthe hat

Out of all of the numerous holiday pastries and other goodies, gingerbread,

and especially gingerbread figures, areprobably the most loved. They are

certainly one of the sweets most closely associated with the holiday season-a

gingerbread man or woman immediately makes you think of Christmas- and

a large part of theirpopularity hinges on the fact that theyare inexpensive, easl' tomake, and something the whole family can get involved in, from Grandma all

down to the little ones. Even ifyouare nota greatartist, gingerbread figures are

pretty hard to ruin; it simply takes a sensitive nose to tell when the dough IS

done. Nex t to makinggingerbread menand women, gingerbread houses are the

mostpopular.

This cute little chalet was originally made using a thicker Germanic

lebkuchen type ofgingerbread dough. Italso had, as do most houses, four sides.

But aftera few Scandinavian remodeling touches it became the slightly whimst­

cal (and rather drafty) version that follows. The chalet is pe1ect if you do not

have time to make a larger more traditional house; it will take only a few hours

to complete once you have made the doughand cut out the templates. The onlv

time-consuming step here is making Santa's head from Marzipan, and tlus

reallv should not be left out, since Santa is lending his name to this creation.

1. Wo rk the ext ra bre ad flour into the gingerbread dough, connr.­

uing to work the dough until it is smoo th and then roll it out to a 10­

by-18-inch (25-x -45-cm) rec tangle approximate ly 1/4 inch (6 rnm ,

thic k. Place the doug h on an inv erted sheet pan lined with baking pap e~

an d refrigerate until firm .

2 . Trace the chalet tem plates (Figure 16- 23, A, B, C, D , and E.

pages 86 1 and 862) and copy onto sturdy cardboard such as the type

us ed to ma t ar twork. (If you have a he art -shaped and/o r a tree-shape; ~~~ 1,; __.. C" _ . ,1

:£.. •

818 Holiday Classics and Fa vorites

QOGingerbread Cookies 'A about ninety 3-inch

(7.5-em) cookies

15 ounces (430 g) unsalted butter 15 ounces (430 g) granulated sugar

1112 cups (360 ml) or 1 pound, 2 ounces (510 g) corn syrup

3/ 4 CllP (180 ml) milk 2 pounds, 10 ounces (1 kg, 195 g)

bread flour 1 tab lespoon (12 g) baking soda 4 tablespoons (20 g) ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons (12 g) ground cloves

2 tablespoons (12 g) ground ginger

•

• •.. ~l .- ~

cookies on sheet pans lined w ith baking paper (icing-side up). Work ct~

scrap dou gh to com pletely incorporate the Royal Icing, th en roll c .::

and spread w ith more icing as you did the first time. Continue to ':'': :

the cookies and reroll the dough until all the dough has been used, 5. Bake at 425°F (219°C) for about 6 minutes or until the icing ;:': 0:

starts to turn light brow n at the edges, Let th e cookies cool complete. '.'

before removing them from the paper. Store in airtigh t containers,

Adetailed history of gingerbread (which can be traced back in time [attl:c:

than any other baked good except bread) is covered in some of the othc:

gingerbread recipes in this book, It is interesting to note here/ however, that tl.:

Swedish name for gingerbread cookies/ pep parkakor, would sur;gest that per­per is one of the ingredients/ just as the name of another popular cookie/ pep­parnotter, betterknown by its German name pfeffernusse, might lead YOu t:

thesame conclusion, But this is not so, Although ground black pepperwas usc: in lebkuchen when it was fi'rst made many centuries ago/ in gingerbread cook­

ies the word peppar is simply a reference to the overall spicy flavor. It is important to plan ahead/ since this gingerbread dough must be rernS'

erated overnight before the consistency becomes workable. Because the dous]: will keep fresh stored covered in the refrigerator fo r several months/ and e\£,: longer in the freezer, there is really no reason to make just the amount required

for oneproject orto try tomake the dough just before it is needed, Having a sup­ply ready togo will come in veryhandy during the holidays/ notonly fo r [reshl:

baked cookies for the cookie tray. butalso for gingerbread figures and ornaments and small decorations on yule logs/ gingerbread houses/ and plateddesserts,

These cookiesarevery brittle and crisp/ which ispartof theircharm/ but the

proper texture will only be achieved if the dough is rolled out extremely thin vs

instructed. Failing to do so will result in cookies that are hard and unpleasan:

Because the dough becomes soft rather quicklywhen it is rolled out so thinlv. i:

is important to workwith onlya small portion at a timeas specified/ keepmg tl:« remainingdough chilled.

This type of gingerbread cookie is made throughout the year in S \x' eL '~

using round or flu ted cutters. Heart-shaped gingerbread cookies are general-.

reserved for Christmas. If thisdough is used tomake larger cookies/ such as rJ::: traditionalgingerbread figure s made for Christmas, it should be rolled a !-:: thicker (% inch/3 mm). For gingerbread houses/ replace the butter with m.' '''-'

garine and increase the flour by 6 ounces (170 gJ to make a firmerdough, Y: :.:

do not necessarily need the butter flavor in a gingerbread house/ since h' : ;: ~

time it is eaten (if at all) it will most likely be stale/ and buttercanalso caus: r::-,­dough to shrink when it is used in combination with theadditional flOU !; v'f:r',:::

means longer kneading Although baked Gingerbread Cookies cannotbe etr: as long as the dough/ they will remain fresh for many weeks if stored-ot' 07,,· ·

haps I shouldsay hidden-in airtight containers in a dry place.

._r

Holiday Classics and Favorites 819

1. Place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and milk in a saucepan. Heat to about 110°F (43°C), stirring the mixture into a smooth paste at the

same time.

2 . Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices together. Incorporate into the butter mixture.

3. Line the bottom of a sheet pan w ith baking paper. Dust the

paper with flour and place the dough on top . Flatten the dough, then refrigerate , covered, overnight.

4. Roll out a small por tion of dough at a time to 1116 inch (2 mm)

thick. Keep the dough you are not working w ith in the refrigerator. The dough will feel sticky, but do not be tempted to mix in add itional flour. The flour used in rolling the dough w ill be enough, and too much flour will make the baked cookies too hard and not as pleasant tas ting.

5. Cut out cookies using a 3-inch (7.5-cm) heart or star-sh aped cookie cutter. Place the cookies, staggered, on sheet pans lined with baking paper. Add the dough scraps to the fresh dough as you roll out the next batch.

6. Bake the cookies at 400°F (205°C) for about 10 minutes or until

they have a rich brown color.

-. Qf1J Holiday Candle

'A Pastries 40 pastries

1 pound (455 g) Short Dough (page 54)

4 ounces (115 g) smooth raspb erry Jam

1 pound, 6 ounc es (625 g) Mazarin Filling (page 1088)

bread flour 12 ounces (340 g) Marzipan

(page 1022), untinted 4 ounces (115 g) Gingerbread Cookies

dough (preceding recipe) or Short Dough (page 54)

dark coating chocolate Marzipan Candles (direc tions follow)

NOTE: Thequantities ofShortDoughand

Mazann Filling speaiied are based on using a

small mazarin form, which measures 2'/4 inches in diameter across the top, 1% inches

across the bottom, and% inch high (5.6 X 4.5 X 2 em). Anytype of form, ~uted orplain, that

T hese are really cute and quiteeasy toproduce-they are nothing more than 1 a Mazarin pastry dressed up for the holidays. When combined with

Christmas Tree Pastries (another variation on the same theme) and the petite YuleLogPastries, theygivea very seasonal, elegant appearance to your pastry selection. If you need to simplify things, make plain Mazarins (omitting the Marzipan rings and dipping the top of the pastries in chocolate), push the Marzipan Candles gently into the glaze on top of the pastries, and place the small cookies around the edges before the glaze starts to dry. The quicker ver­sion willnothavequite as long a shelf life as the chocolate-dipped holiday pas­tries, which stay fresh up to one week.

1. Roll the Short Dough out to I/S inch (3 mm) thick, using just

enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Line forty small mazarin forms w ith the dough (see Figures 2-15 to 2-18, pages 57 and 58) (see note). Place the form s, staggered, on a sheet pan . Cover the

scrap dough and reserve for another use. 2 . Place the jam in a piping bag and pipe a small dot of jam, about

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml), on the bottom of each form . Place the Mazarin

Fillingin a pastry bag with a no. 5 (10-mm) plain tip. Pipe the filling into

the forms, filling them to just below the rim.

3. Bake at 400°F (205°C) for approximately 12 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Remove from the ove n, dust bread flour

lightly over the tops, and invert. Set aside to cool upside down.

Remove the forms before the pastries have cooled completely. . I '

. '

I