OCR Text |
Show ' ..J On the sidewalls, she uses a pencil to sketch more windows "You can erase, ttxi. Or you can wash it off, she says. "It s not food, its an. , ' After outlining the windows in icing, she adds candles to one, a Christmas tree to another, a stack of presents to a third The windows are filled with "run royal icing thinned with com syrup. Piped icing around the edges, it spreads to fill the background. Working steadily, she covers the roof with scallops of icing, lining the two sides up so the design and spac- With her newest creation standing firm, she adds an k walkway in front of the door that is just a little open, and billows of white icing to cover the yard. She pipes snow on the chimney top and along the roof, always working from bottom to top to get the natural look of piled-u- p snow. Its finished. And yes, it looks good enough to eat. almond-roc- Punts Kathleen is she food editor eThe Charlotte (S.C.) Observer ing will be consistent, then places a tiny candy dot at each upstroke. 1 just love doing it, she says. "I can sit here for hours, with a pair of tweezers. Lamar (her husband) thinks I'm crazy. But it's very calming berries grow under Once holly boughs with red-dclock marks time at the a every window, peppermint roofs peak, and red icing candles glow with tiny flames. Cole puts the house together. She pipes icing along the bottom of the back wall, ttunumitj tht from Pjt 6 1 minutes back in the oven, she uses melred sugar into the comers. the coax to rnnthpiik In a few minutes, after the candy cools and hardens, the walls can I popped liaise off the cookie sheet. Cole usually spreads the work out, baking one day walls sjx-n- a few a and finishing the house on another "Otherwise, you're worn out and you re in no mood to decorate, she says. And decorating, site says, is the last part. She uses meringue powder, available in most craft stores, to make royal icing a particular kind tliar spreads easily and hardens quickly It's easier to work with you just mix powder, confectioners' sugar, and warer and it's safer tlian the from-s- c ratch version with uncooked egg whites She makes a large batch of white icing, covering the mixing bowl with plastic wrap to keep it from drying, then loads a pastry bag a soft, bag in which frosting is squeezed through decorative tip cone-shape- d a small Cole decorates walls before building the house. Its , and her candy details pajx-rdries icing easier, like drawing on flat don't fall off before the She pijies stars around the candy-glas- s windows and uses tweezers to top the stars with candy dots stands it on a piece of cardboard, and blocks it up with a can of soup. As she adds each side, she adds more cans, making sure to put the sidewalls inside the front and back walls. Otherwise, the house will be too wide and the roof wont fit. You do not eat them Cole's gingerbread houses are so sturdy, they usually last until the next summer Some people try to save gingerbread houses by spraying them with acrylic, but they'll mold unless they are very dry Cole prefers to just let them go Shed rather enjoy them while they last, and then have the fun of making another. "The one thing about gingerbread is this: People think you eat them. You do not eat them. Theyre for display, and who wants to eat them after thatf' Complex designs such as "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, and "Peter Rabbit's House, a gingerbread tree stump inspired by a stump in her back yard, can take Cole months to design and build. For those kinds of houses, she builds the shape with wads of aluminum foil, then uses an electric knife to cut them into sections that will hold dough. Then she puts up extra tables in the living room and goes to work, even making her own candy canes from Read ly , 'W, L ntetons, and f, cot for an be stir-tituListDough msis with hcry hati&'ss ing. Molasses gves a darker color, but the dough may soften after baking. Always place the rolled-ou- t dough on the sheet, and then make your cuts.Tr.at keeps the pieces from getting distorted when they're moved. Keep a straight pin by the oven. If the dough begins to bubble, remove the pan from the oven, pop the bubbles, and smooth the dough by rubbing lightly with a potholder. Then return the sheet to the oven. Cut the shapes for windows or doors, but leave them in place. Remove them from the baking sheet while the piece is still hot Press any crumbs back into place while hot Very thin dough, for shingles or other details, needs only about 5 minutes to bake. Cut round shingles using the wide end of a pastry tip. If a piece isn't dry, or seems to bend at room temperature, return it to the oven at 250-30- 0 degrees before decorating. The low temperature will dry it without further browning. gum paste and a utensil that looks like a tiny caulking gun. "I just get consumed, she says of the annual gingerbread house competition. Its all I can think about. From mixing and rolling the dough to placing tiny candy dots. Cole enjoys everything about the process."! can sit here for hours with a pair of tweezers," she says. I v,,. - before |