December 9th, 2007
The LA Times Magazine
Gingerbread House by: Mary Payne Moran and Elizabeth Belkind
This is what I wrote about my hilarious experience making a Gingerbread House with Chef Elizabeth Belkind. It was a huge challenge because I was traveling to Oklahoma at the time, and Elizabeth was back in California. Thank goodness for the internet! Now, with these 10 easy steps, you'll be able to make a Gingerbread House too, just in time for Christmas – and no matter where you are.
10 Easy Steps to a Gingerbread House!
1. Make sure that there are two of you to share this adventure. It is more satisfying when someone else can pat you on the back. One of you should go to Oklahoma and the other should stay in California.
2. Once he/she is in Oklahoma, the process of creating a pattern begins. Take a photograph of a house (cartoon, real, or drawn) and draw the four sides on cardboard to the desired scale and proceed to cut them out.
3. Tape all four sides together. This will allow you to make sure that everything fits properly.
4. Cut out the roof and any other details necessary to make the house look like the picture, like shutters, chimneys, railings, etc.
5. Detach all pieces and trace them onto large white paper. This is now your pattern.
6. Drive to a copy store and ask an assistant to help you reduce and fax your pattern to California.
7. He/she in California will receive the fax, and it will need to be enlarged to the correct dimensions. A calculator might be necessary. (Again, assistants may be useful in this cross country scenario).
8. Both of you should be in the same city to continue. Cut out the pattern, and trace the pieces to the gingerbread. Bake.
9. Make enough royal icing (Concrete sugar) to fill a bucket and begin to construct the Gingerbread House. It is easier with four hands, as two can hold and one can pipe. This step should be done in a day.
10. Decorate, Garnish, and Admire!
View the LA Times article above and check out the website for the full recipe:
http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/la-tm-gingerbread.30dec9,1,3816295.story?coll=la-headlines-latmagazine
Enjoy! Mary
Send your questions about food, cooking and life in the kitchen to:
hailmarys.inc@gmail.com
