RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Blanche Nonken Cake: Gingerbread House/Dreidle - Instructions
suel107122@aol.com (SueL107122) wrote: > This year I'm going to bake my own gingerbread Chanukah house, so, my question > is, besides the now traditional cookiecutter jewish patterns, does anyone have > suggestions for decorations? > > All ideas will be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Hah! I thought I was the only one who does that. Actually, I make a gingerbread dreidle. I make it about 5 or 6 inches high, do a lacy decoration in the letter cutouts with royal icing for the sides, and fill it with nuts and chanukah gelt (bought in the 7 ounce bags at Cost Plus during the spring when I'm in California visiting my mom. It's taken me a few years to get it right. I made it a squat dreidle (don't expect it to spin!) and I cut out the following seperate shapes. 1 box (six sides, 4 for the Nun-Gimel-Hay-Shin panels, one top with 1 inch square hold in the middle, one bottom) 4 triangles to form the pyramid-shaped bottom 4 rectangles to form the "handle" 1 small square for the top of the "handle." First I decorate where I cut out the letters. I do this on wax paper, and fill in the open area with lacy curlicues, diagonal lines or a grid-like pattern. I also draw outside the letter cutouts, to emphasize them. I allow the Royal icing to dry before I peel the sides off the wax paper. I also apply royal icing to the edges of the squares. After decorating the sides, I take the single square for the bottom of the main body-cube, and position the four triangles on it to form a pyramid. Using crumpled balls of foil, cookbooks, jars, glasses and anything else I have handy, I prop them into the pyramid shape and ice the edges with the royal icing used as a caulk or glue. After it dries, it holds them very well. This stuff is quite strong when dry. The next day, after the icing decorations on the sides are thoroughly dry, I assemble the main body. I use, again, crumpled balls of foil, books, glasses, jars, whatever I have handy to prop up the sides and the top (the square with the 1 inch square hole in the middle) to form a sort of "shed". I once again caulk with the royal icing to hold this stuff together. Leave all to set for about 6 hours or so, and pray for no damp, rainy weather. When all the royal icing is good and set, you should have two large pieces: A pyramid which will be the bottom of the dreidle, and a box which will be the top. Set the box down, open side up, (the piece with the square hole should be resting on the table at this time) and fill with your candy selections. You want to put enough into it to show through the decorated letter-holes on the sides. Place the pyramid piece on top, and caulk in place with the royal icing. Allow to dry. While it's drying, now you can assemble the handle piece. Ice the 4 long, skinny rectangles into a long, skinny, open-ended box. Use your motly collection of supports to hold it in shape. When it's set, place it upright and ice the small square in place at the top. When everything is dry, somehow or another, ice the handle to the top of the dreidle, where the square hole is. Let it dry, and there's your gingerbread dreidle. How to keep the kids from "helping" or eating your creation for long enough for guests to see it: Use the extra gingerbread dough to cut out Hanukah shapes. Punch holes in the tops of these for hanging. Thin the leftover royal icing slightly, and color with food coloring. Give the kids the baked cookie shapes, the colored royal icing, and lots of cheap, new paintbrushes. Let them decorate the cookies. When the icing on these are dry, hang them around the house - I hang them in the window where I have my lightbulb menorah. If you have lots of money, I suppose you could nestle your gingerbread dreidle in a big bowl of chanukah gelt. Otherwise, you're on your own. I use an old speaker stand to hold up the dreidle. It's a fun project for overachievers, or those without enough to do to prepare for Chanukah.
