| Time Out! for Family Sharing
 The
bustle of holiday preparation slows at least a few times during Advent
as we prepare and share a simple Gingerbread recipe. The late James
Beard, "dean of American cooks", hailed from Oregon, United States.
His directions for gingerbread, slightly modified here, result in a
lovely, moist cake. It takes little time or effort, but provides a festive
cap to family Advent meditations or Christmas prayers.
Directions and Ingredients (Metric Conversion
below)
Pre-heat
the oven to 375 degrees, and have ready a 9 inch x 9 inch by 2 inch
baking pan. Do not grease or flour the pan.
Measure
1 cup molasses, light or dark, with a glass (liquid) measuring
cup. Pour the molasses into a reasonably large bowl, perhaps 2-3 quart
size. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water into the now (mostly) empty
glass measuring cup, and then into the bowl. This will help rinse the
last of the molasses from the measuring cup. Coarsely chop up 5 tablespoons
butter and add quickly to the bowl; stir to help the butter melt
into the combined hot water and molasses.
To
the bowl, stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1-2 teaspoons ground
ginger (more ginger results in a spicier, "hotter" cake), 1 teaspoon
baking soda, and 2 cups flour, preferably unbleached. Stir
just until ingredients are mixed and moist; this is a job for a light
hand with a wooden spoon, not an electric mixer.
Bake
in the oven at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes. When the cake is done,
it will pull away slightly from the pan and a toothpick inserted in
the middle of the cake will come out clean. Allow to cool briefly and,
if desired, sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Best when warm, but entirely
acceptable cool.
Metric
Conversion:
Pre-heat
the oven to 190 degrees, and have ready a 23 x 23 CM baking pan. Do
not grease or flour the pan.
Measure
250 ml molasses, light or dark, with a glass (liquid) measuring
cup. Pour the molasses into a reasonably large bowl, perhaps 2-3 litre
size. Pour 125 ml boiling water into the now (mostly) empty glass
measuring cup, and then into the bowl. This will help rinse the last
of the molasses from the measuring cup. Coarsely chop up 75 ml butter
and add quickly to the bowl; stir to help the butter melt into the combined
hot water and molasses.
To
the bowl, stir in 2 ml salt, 5 - 10 ml ground ginger (more
ginger results in a spicier, "hotter" cake), 5 ml baking soda,
and 500 ml flour, preferably unbleached. Stir just until ingredients
are mixed and moist; this is a job for a light hand with a wooden spoon,
not an electric mixer.
Bake
in the oven at 190 degrees for 25-35 minutes. When the cake is done,
it will pull away slightly from the pan and a toothpick inserted in
the middle of the cake will come out clean. Allow to cool briefly and,
if desired, sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Best when warm, but entirely
acceptable cool.
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