Gingerbread House Memories Part 2

The Demise of Santa's Kitchen

In Gingerbread Memories Part 1, I talked about my first experience with gingerbread house making in culinary school. I really got into it but it became so large, I didn't know how I'd get it home in one piece.

A fellow student and I devised what we thought would be a foolproof method. We would place Santa's kitchen on a utility cart and roll it to the freight elevator, a behemoth capable of accommodating a Volkswagen Bug.

We'd ride down two floors, roll the cart out to the dock, down the ramp and place it in the back seat of my big, old non-emissions-compliant Grand Prix. Sigh! I miss that car. The V8 engine made for fantastic pickup and, toward the end of its life, colorful blue sparks shot out of the tail pipe.

Anyway. You know what they say about the best-laid plans. Things went smoothly all the way, even down the ramp. But the last 30 feet to my car was another story. Rolling the utility cart over uneven Chicago pavement caused a series of seismic tremors that brought down Santa's kitchen like a house of cards.

My friend and I looked at each other for a moment and then we just crumpled with laughter. Not the hysteria of denial, but good old belly bouncers. What a great feeling to realize it was just a mess of sugar and I could always make another one.

Gingerbread Houses Become a Tradition

Over the years, I've experimented with graham crackers to save time, made shredded-wheat roofs, trail-mix chimneys and had mini gingerbread men cartwheeling in royal icing snow. I've melted blue mints on waxed paper in the microwave to create frozen ponds for marzipan ice skaters, and created stained-glass windows with melted crushed hard candies. I've done the foil-candy glitter versions and Alpine-chalet varieties with hearts and flowers tole painted in icing. And no matter how many times I make one, it comes out different and satisfying.

Gingerbread House Success Tips

Whether it's a simply or extravagantly decorated house you're after, the key to its durability is making sure the recipe is for construction or structural gingerbread. This type has no spices, honey or molasses, which means it's more economical to make in large quantities, and no leaveners like eggs or baking soda or powder which would distort the house pieces as they baked. This recipe is designed for building, not eating.

Just make sure to bake the pieces until they are lightly browned on the edges and bottom and dry. Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing. If the pieces become soggy from humidity before you have a chance to use them, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to dry.

Gingerbread House Mortar

Another important component to successful gingerbread-house making is the mortar or royal icing. Royal icing got its name from being used on fruitcake, which was the traditional wedding cake for English royalty. Royal icing can't be so soft and goopy that it won't hold a bead when you lay it down with a pastry bag, as if you were caulking. And it can't be too dry because it will crack and fall off.

Create a Memory

Making your own gingerbread house can be a lot of fun and, if you do it as a family, you'll start a tradition and create some wonderful memories in the process. Make it easier on yourself by baking the pieces one day and assembling and decorating the next.