The Gingerbread Jinx
Dec 25th, 2008 by Marilyn
Let’s start by noting that a) I celebrate Hanukkah, and b) I have a hard time saying “no.” In the baking world, these facts gave me star power every holiday season – I could work late, I could say yes, and most shamefully, I was dying to play Christmas elf. Could I wrap all the stollens? Okay. Would I mind icing “Bob & Susie” on three hundred chocolate mittens? Not really. Could I possibly make espresso, work the register and finish off that Nutcracker-themed wedding cake? Well…fine. But just this once. I mean it!
But it is never just once. I’m a habitual yes-girl, and what’s worse, the ideas – even today – are frequently of my own making, things I was not even asked to do. I propose them and everyone says “yes!” and I say “of course!” and then, twelve hours later, I’m hunched over a counter glaring at a mixer. I’d like to say I never learn, but somewhere after 38, I did. The ghosts of three “sures!” past – all holiday, all gingerbread, all crazy – finally taught me to keep my sweet mouth shut.
Street of Broken Dreams
Fresh out of culinary school, I’m working for an overly ambitious guy at a do-everything shop in Chicago’s tony Old Town. We plan our holiday open house, and even though I am already baking pastry, working catering, designing the menus and refereeing romantic staff spats, I raise my dorky hand. How about a gingerbread Armitage Street? Shops, snow, icing, lights? Everyone seems pleased, and I work all week on the sugared city scene. It’s a candlelit hit at the open house, and I’m clapped on the back all night. But my eager-beaverness soon earns me every job that no one wants. A famous name is brought in at great expense to draw customers and boss me around. In the end, Ambitious Guy declares bankruptcy and closes shop.
A Model Relationship
Older and ostensibly wiser, I am brought into a restaurant to whip the bakery kitchen and staff into shape. The owner wants a partner, and says it will be me, in time; he has a difficult reputation but I believe him, and work my little heart out. Christmas rolls around and – surprise! – I’m outside, sketching the restaurant for a gingerbread model. I work on this one at night, at home, after work and when Josie sleeps. On my tiny kitchen counter I cut through gingerbread slabs with an X-acto, and then a knife, and finally a hacksaw. The iced model goes on display, and it too is a hit – customers ooh and ah over the little white bricks and candy awnings all week, but before New Year’s, Difficult Guy decides maybe…maybe he doesn’t need a partner. I hang up my apron, but the gingerbread stays.
How the Cookie Crumbles
I didn’t even work there. My friend owned a little gourmet shop, and was brainstorming holiday windows. I suggested a gingerbread Eiffel Tower. Would I have time, with a toddler and a catering business? Oh, sure. Why not?
Glaring at twenty pounds of dough three days later, I wasn’t sure. My design was clear but painstaking, and as the baked brown slabs filled my dining room, tagged with yellow Post-Its – “2nd level left,” “tower deck B,” “base foot DON’T CUT!!” – it became a dark architectural headache. I was thrilled when we set it safely in the window, aglow with tiny lights. My friend’s door clanged with jingle bells, and shoppers brightly elbowed and jostled for truffles and sausage and cheese. People took pictures, the local paper came, and my friend loved it, too – she loved it so much that weeks later, when royal icing began to crack off, she refused to take it down.
“Please take it down,” I’d say. “The season’s over. It’s porous, you know – not meant to last forever.”
But she would not, and there was some argument over who the tower belonged to – me, the rightful baker, or her, owner of the window. I gave in – yes, keep it up – and it sat there falling apart bit by bit, which is more than I can say for our friendship, which fell apart immediately.
So. What have we learned? Be careful with saws in the kitchen. Don’t glue monuments with egg whites, and don’t eat raw dough before sunrise. Enjoy playing holiday elf, and if you’re able to say yes, say yes. But if you just can’t say no, tread gingerly.
Happy Holidays!
OH MY GOD!!!
I saw that Eiffel Tower in your Flickr pool and wondered if you had made it. It’s A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
Hmm. I see a book of the best loved monuments as done by Marilyn in your future…
Seriously, that is incredible.
Thanks goodness we get wiser as we get older.
Happy Holidays to you.
Lovely story and amazing,truly AMAZING work of art-another year older;another year wiser
!Happy,happy.
I too have got myself into a pickle by not saying “no”
Beautiful tower.
Happy Hannukah! We do both at our house. Tonight I’ll be making a pork roast with a side of latkes.
Your Eiffel Tower is gorgeous. I so enjoy your blog.
I got to this post from the lovely renovation therapy…and OMG indeed! The tower is so, so incredible (and, if any consolation, I deem the baker the rightful owner for SURE). And I am also thankful we all grow older and wiser (well, not so keen on the older thing, if I’m honest), and am happy to be learning to say “no” – even if that lesson took me 37 years to learn! Happy holidays!
That is amazing. WOW Happy Holidays!!!
This is an awesome idea–and tons of work. Glad it worked out. I am also a caterer (or was) but now mostly a writer and reader of food blogs.
Check out my latest (Nov/08):
Tried and True Recipes from a Caterer’s Kitchen—Secrets of Making Great Foods
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/TriedandTrueRecipes.html
http://www.howfoodswork.blogspot.com
The gingerbread Eiffel Tower is awesome.. a masterpiece!
Happy Hanukkah Marilyn!
Gera .:. sweetsfoods
ohhhh, that eiffel tower is BEAUTIFUL!
How about a gingerbread new old house? Just kidding. Happy Holidays!
Very well said! I am adoring your work though!!! Wow!
Love the gingerbread but this comment actually has nothing to do with it!
I tried the apple almond braid all by myself for Christmas Eve. First of all, it was a great success (with only a slight hiccup). That dough is a dream, silky, lovely, and cheesy! The filling really does make your mouth water and you have to be careful not to each too much of it before actually using it. It baked up beautifully; something that I thought would go for both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner only lasted through Christmas day breakfast!
The slight hiccup was that I didn’t really know what almond filling was. At Checkers (perhaps not the best place to go for something like that) all I found was almond paste and figured that that was probably the same thing. I thought that until I opened the can and realized it was basically marzipan and definitely not almond “filling.” It was actually still very good, it just doesn’t spread and you have to roll it out first and then lay it on top of the dough.
I’d like to try this again with the correct ingredients but it’s good to know that in the absence of the right ingredients, the wrong ones still make something very tasty!
Oui! Oui! C’est Magnifique, mon amie! I can never get enough of these “my life as a pastry chef” stories.
My original comment of “ha, ha, ha” was too short to be published??? So now I am adding this riveting new commentary. Great story though.
I LOVE the Eiffel Tower!! Your holiday story was amazing! Why is it the ones that can’t say no always get into a pickel?!
If only we all had such a beautiful monument to remind us of lessons learned! Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!
Your Eiffel Tower…a work of art..
I read every word…a friend sent me your story. I can’t wait till you own a store…a very successful one…that you only have to work at when you want to…it does so well regardless because your name is on it. People order from around the world and your daughter ties the red ribbons on the packages that are sent out because it’s fun for her.
Your exes work for you…and you have golden friendships that do not crumble
Not only do you bake beautifully…I think you write beautifully too. Yes.
Gingerbread. I have stayed away from it after two difficult encounters. Perhaps there is something inherent in gingerbread… trouble follows it? Anyway, I too celebrate Chanukah, and this year my husband’s gifts to me have a common theme. They are all paper items (folders, post-it notes, etc.) with the words “Stop me before I volunteer again”. Hmmmm.
Such lovely Eiffel Tower! I don’t blame your friend for not wanting to take it down.
No WAY. That is awesome! You’re amazing!!!!
I spent years in therapy to cure myself of uncontrollable ‘yessing’. It didn’t work. I love your writing style, Love the charming story that goes so well with the time of year and you do fab work in gingerbread! Forever ‘yessing’ is better than living in a world of ‘no’, leaving not a single chance at growth and learning.
OMG!!
Your Tour Eiffel is so lovely! What a great idea!
Oh my gingerbread fantasy. Totally, chic-ally awesome.
What a stunning gingerbread installation!
I just sent you 2 very hyper emails. I’ve had a lot of caffeine in the past hour…
Wow, that’s incredible
Whoa …. I am seriously impressed! You should be on one of those Foodnetwork challenges. You got mad skillz girl!
And I totally relate to taking on too much at times.
what a great story and that eiffel cookie tower is truly amazing!
You’ve ALMOST inspired me to tackle a momentous gingerbread creation next year. The Eiffel Tower is awe inspiring.
Marilyn,
Goodness, that tower was amazing. I think you’re old enough and wise enough now to say whatever you want and shove gingerbread goodness up some noses too.
Wow, that looks absolutely amazing! I am super impressed!
I’m sorry to hear about your friendship though.
would really like to have the recipe if thats possible