gingerbread

[sciguy125]

All this speak of structural candy gave me an idea. Let's say we have a highly viscous caramel. If we heat it up and drizzle it onto a piece of wax paper, we can make a mesh. Then, we take this mesh and sandwich it between two thin sheets of gingerbread. Rebake at low temperature for a little while and we have corregated gingerbread.

[greencactus3]

how about melting the hard candy into a mold and then using that?

[Church]

What a fascinating topic...

From what I've seen on various cooking contests, sugar can be used for lots of things you never would have dreamed of, but of course you'd have to be a professional to attempt half of it.

sciguy125 had a good point. As long as you keep the gingerbread light, then you can be a lot more creative with the things you use for support. But then you have to make sure it's not too thin... it's like building a robot all over again!

If anyone tries anything like this, make sure to post pictures! I wish I knew more about cooking so I can try, too.

[ChuckDickerson]

That gingerbread competition is held every year at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. My wife's family is from Asheville and it had been a family tradition to visit the Grove Park gingerbread displays every year at Christmas. Sadly, my wife's last remaining grandparent passed away a two years ago so we haven't made the trek to Asheville for the last two years. We really miss the gingerbread displays and if you are ever in Asheville this time of year a visit to the historic Grove Park Inn would be well worth your time. Now we look forward to the Food Network special each year. Unfortunately, as with most TV coverage they never give enough time to the truly outstanding entrees in the youth category. The kids have the best displays hands down. The adult categories are better built, more detailed, etc. but I much prefer the kids stuff. Don't kid yourself, the adult category is very serious stuff. Some of those folks are just as passionate about their gingerbread as we are about FIRST. Some of those folks eat, breath, and sleep their gingerbread and do it 365 days a year. If there is a better way to make gingerbread more structurally sound they have found it. Did you see the guy that made the functioning carousel using the power tools on his gingerbread? I mean really! A belt sander and a scroll saw on gingerbread? From what I have seen over the years the big problem isn't so much the gingerbread itself as it is the glue that holds all the parts together.

[Andrew Blair]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

From what I have seen over the years the big problem isn't so much the gingerbread itself as it is the glue that holds all the parts together.

I wonder why nobodys tried elmers? It's "edible" from what I understand. At least paste is.

[KenWittlief]

you know what would be really awesome? Make a ginger bread house with one of those 12W light-bulb replacement florescent lights inside

and decorate it with jelly beans and gum drops and lolly pop windows, so that when you turn the light inside the house on, all the candy glows from the inside (like christmas lights)

with a florescent light it should not get warm enough to be a problem.