Fancy gingerbread ornaments for Christmas<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Decorating the Christmas tree before the special event has always
\nbeen one of the most cherished holiday activities involving
\nfamily members -- and brings them closer together.<\/p>\n
Creative ideas for ornamental objects to bring out the festive
\natmosphere can emerge from various sources, even from unusual
\nones like the kitchen -- no doubt one of the busiest spots in the
\nhouse during this time of year.<\/p>\n
Executive chef Thomas Rappl and pastry chef Sapto Wibowo from
\nInter-Continental MidPlaza Jakarta use a gingerbread recipe and
\nmold the dough to create fancy ornaments to decorate the
\nChristmas tree and gingerbread house.<\/p>\n
For centuries, gingerbread could not be separated from
\nChristmas festivities. According to www.christmascabin.com, the
\nhistory of gingerbread can be traced back at least to the 11th
\ncentury; what is known as gingerbread in one place may vary in
\ntaste, form and presentation from others. It may resemble cake,
\ncookies or bread while the flavor can range from mild or sweet to
\nspicy, but it has almost always been cut into a variety of shapes
\nand colorfully decorated.<\/p>\n
Gingerbread, from its very beginnings, was said to be a
\npopular fairground delicacy and many fairs became known as
\ngingerbread fairs. If a fair were held to honor a town's saint,
\nthen people might find the saint's image imprinted into the
\ngingerbread they bought.<\/p>\n
In the past, gingerbread could only be prepared by gingerbread
\nbakers who held the rights to bake it, except at Christmas and
\nEaster.<\/p>\n
Talking about tradition, compared with other European
\ncountries, Germany has the strongest tradition of flat
\ngingerbread, with Nuremberg later becoming known as the
\ngingerbread capital, where fancy-shaped gingerbread, including
\nthe house-shaped lebkuchenhaeusel -- inspired by the Hansel and
\nGretel tale -- was widely sold at fairs, carnivals and markets.<\/p>\n
In France, a baker of pain d'epices (spiced bread) had a
\nspecial place and was to be distinguished from other pastrycooks
\nand bakers. There was also an old tradition of holding a
\ngingerbread fair at an abbey in Paris where monks sold pig-shaped
\ngingerbread.<\/p>\n
The treat's popularity soon spread and it was settlers from
\nNorthern Europe who introduced the tradition of making
\ngingerbread to North America where locals used it to make
\nVictorian houses, richly adorned with colorful candies and
\nicicles.<\/p>\n
Here, for the ingredients, chef Rappl uses honey, flour, palm
\nsugar, milk, eggs and spices and mixes them together into a firm
\ndough, letting it rest in the refrigerator before rolling it and
\ncutting it into various shapes like crescent moons, stars and
\nsmall trees before baking them.<\/p>\n
It is their colorful frostings and fancy shapes that make
\ngingerbread cookies interesting Christmas tree ornaments. And
\nlike decorating the tree using other ornaments, preparing the
\ndough and decorating these edible decorations can involve other
\nfamily members, including children.<\/p>\n
"Children can help cut the dough using variously shaped cookie
\ncutters and decorate the cookies once they are cooked. They'll
\nlove it because the icing, candies and other decorative elements
\nare colorful and it's quite easy to do it," he said. He added
\nthat at the hotel, gingerbread houses are sold at the Deli, while
\nthe gingerbread ornaments are available upon request.<\/p>\n
In the making of a simple triangular prism gingerbread house,
\nhe prepared two rectangles for the roof and two triangles for the
\nfront and rear part of the house.<\/p>\n
"Make sure the sides of the triangle are of the same length as
\nthe width of the rectangles and assemble them using royal icing.
\nMake a little cut for the door at the center of the triangle."<\/p>\n
The gingerbread dough can be prepared two days ahead; keep it
\nwrapped in the refrigerator until ready for rolling. Once baked,
\nthese ornaments can be kept for a week.<\/p>\n
When having guests over, these ornaments can also serve as
\ngifts for children and they can choose the shapes they like
\nstraight from the Christmas tree.<\/p>\n
"In making these decorations for gifts as well, make sure to
\nwrap each ornament in cling film to be hygienic," Sapto said.<\/p>\n
I-BOX:<\/p>\n
Making your own gingerbread<\/p>\n
Ingredients:<\/p>\n
1. Honey 1 kg
\n2. Plain flour 1 kg
\n3. Baking flour 1 kg
\n4. Palm Sugar 1 kg
\n5. Milk 600 ml
\n6. Eggs 2
\n7. Ammoniac 10 gm
\n8. Gingerbread spice 20 gm<\/p>\n
Method:<\/p>\n
* Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
\n* Mix all the ingredients to form a firm dough.
\n* Roll it and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least two
\nhours.
\n* Divide the dough into a workable size and roll out to a
\nthickness of about 3 mm.
\n* Cut it using cookie cutters, or for the gingerbread house, cut
\nit into two rectangles and two triangles (the dimensions depend
\non the size of the house you want).
\n* Line baking tray with baking paper.
\n* Place dough on the paper, glaze with fresh milk and bake in
\noven for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
Royal Icing:<\/p>\n
1. Icing sugar 1 kg
\n2. Egg white 4
\n3. Vinegar 5 ml
\n4. Colorings<\/p>\n
Method:<\/p>\n
* Layer the seams of the house and the edges of the roof with
\nsome of the royal icing and carefully assemble the pieces.
\n* Divide the remaining icing into separate bowls and tint them
\nwith different colors. Use them to decorate the ornaments and the
\nhouse.
\n* You can also use your favorite sweets and cookies to decorate
\nChristmas tree ornaments and the gingerbread house.
\n* Stick the decorations to the house with tempered chocolate or
\nroyal icing.<\/p>",
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