Here is my inspiration, the cathedral I have yet to see in Paris (although I grew up visiting its duplicate "Heinz Chapel" in Pittsburgh and in 1983 toured the basement (or undercroft) because the rest of the chapel was under restoration and would have been there this past October if the entire country of France hadn't conspired to keep me from seeing it by going on strike):
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn%20Air/DSC03404.jpg
...and here is my restrained candyless verson (12"L x 8" W x 18"H):
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn%20Air/DSC03411.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn%20Air/DSC03412.jpg
Marbled candy for the roof:
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/DSC03405.jpg
Keeping the theme simplistic, I left off the ribbed vaults, buttresses, clustered columns, ambulatories, wheel windows, spires and carved door tympanums. In part, because I started this on Saturday and had to finish it by Sunday and also because I started this on Saturday and had to finish it by Sunday.
Lighting needs to be viable for at least 4 days at work, so I found a LED lantern that will run for 150 hours on three D-size batteries, removed the glass and duct-taped the base/bulb to a box. Gift-wrapped that (pretty crappily since it was 11:00 PM Sunday night) and slide the bulb inside the house. Had I realized the bulb wouldn't be visible through the candy windows I could have made all of the windows long.
Oh well....
We freely offer EVEN MORE GBH lessons learned this year:
1. After carefully rolling out the dough and meticulously cutting out the pattern and then pulling the whole thing apart when you try to LIFT the bloody pattern away, spray the pattern with Baker's Joy and then repeat everything you just did all over again.
2. Oh, for the love of gumdrops, will you please remember that pattern pieces CAN NOT BE BIGGER THAN YOUR OVEN.
3. Just because you can cut the marble-ized chocolate as soon as you take it out of the refrigerator doesn't mean you should. Because it will crack on you. And then your roof will not have shingles...it will have shards. Patience, Grasshopper, patience.
4. Pulse the Brach's candy in a mini food processor and immediately transfer it to a disposable pastry bag. Have the windows cleaned and ready and then snip off the bottom. You will be able to put just enough candy in each window without getting crunchy candy bits ALL OVER THE KITCHEN, avoiding the circa 2007 GBH crushed candy debacle which triggered an ant invasion. Melt at 350 for 10 minutes (the crushed candy, not the ants).
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn%20Air/DSC03404.jpg
...and here is my restrained candyless verson (12"L x 8" W x 18"H):
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn%20Air/DSC03411.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn%20Air/DSC03412.jpg
Marbled candy for the roof:
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/DSC03405.jpg
Keeping the theme simplistic, I left off the ribbed vaults, buttresses, clustered columns, ambulatories, wheel windows, spires and carved door tympanums. In part, because I started this on Saturday and had to finish it by Sunday and also because I started this on Saturday and had to finish it by Sunday.
Lighting needs to be viable for at least 4 days at work, so I found a LED lantern that will run for 150 hours on three D-size batteries, removed the glass and duct-taped the base/bulb to a box. Gift-wrapped that (pretty crappily since it was 11:00 PM Sunday night) and slide the bulb inside the house. Had I realized the bulb wouldn't be visible through the candy windows I could have made all of the windows long.
Oh well....
We freely offer EVEN MORE GBH lessons learned this year:
1. After carefully rolling out the dough and meticulously cutting out the pattern and then pulling the whole thing apart when you try to LIFT the bloody pattern away, spray the pattern with Baker's Joy and then repeat everything you just did all over again.
2. Oh, for the love of gumdrops, will you please remember that pattern pieces CAN NOT BE BIGGER THAN YOUR OVEN.
3. Just because you can cut the marble-ized chocolate as soon as you take it out of the refrigerator doesn't mean you should. Because it will crack on you. And then your roof will not have shingles...it will have shards. Patience, Grasshopper, patience.
4. Pulse the Brach's candy in a mini food processor and immediately transfer it to a disposable pastry bag. Have the windows cleaned and ready and then snip off the bottom. You will be able to put just enough candy in each window without getting crunchy candy bits ALL OVER THE KITCHEN, avoiding the circa 2007 GBH crushed candy debacle which triggered an ant invasion. Melt at 350 for 10 minutes (the crushed candy, not the ants).
