Gingerbread and Chocolate Make the World Go Around

      The Walt Disney World pastry chefs are busy people. Every holiday they spice things up with delightful gingerbread treats and festive chocolate goodies in all shapes and sizes — some tempt the palate... others are just a feast for the eyes. A life-size carousel (like the one pictured) made completely of edible ingredients — gingerbread, chocolate and sugar paste will be on display in the lobby of Disney's Beach Club Resort beginning Thanksgiving weekend. If you're staying at one of the Disney resorts during the holidays, it is worth a trip to the Beach Club Resort to see this fascinating creation. Also, chefs will give demonstrations throughout the day, giving tips to guests on how to decorate their own gingerbread creations.
      Just in case you're wondering what goes into baking a life-size carousel? Here is a list of the ingredients:

• 36 lbs. of honey
• 96 lbs. of bread flour
• 100 pints of eggs
• 10 lbs. of spices
• 10 quarts of simple syrup
• 100 lbs. of icing
• 50 lbs. of dark chocolate
• 10 quarts of egg whites
• 100 lbs. of confectioner sugar

And, let's not leave out...

• Tons of enthusiasm, energy and talent!

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      This life-size gingerbread house will be on display in the lobby of the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort beginning Thanksgiving weekend. While the structure is a feast for the eyes, it is functional too. Guests may purchase mouth-watering Santa lollipops, gingerbread cookie people, gingerbread ornaments, gingerbread cookies, stollen bread, and Grand Floridian chocolate logo boxes filled with truffles and peppermint bark. What else is offered? Miniature gingerbread houses, of course!
      How does one go about making a life-size gingerbread house? First you gather the ingredients:

• 1,050 lbs. of honey
• 600 lbs. powdered sugar
• 35 lbs. spices
• 800 lbs. flour
• 140 pints of egg whites
• 180 lbs. apricot glaze
• and, over 10,000 pieces of gingerbread

      You better have plenty of time on your hands. It takes nearly 400 hours to just bake the gingerbread and 160 hours to decorate the house. When you're done though it is an imposing structure 16 feet high by 17 feet wide with 80 sq. ft. of retail space.

      Here's a sampling of what else is on the holiday menu throughout Walt Disney World Resort in 2005:

• Disney's BoardWalk will whip up a holiday toy corner, showcasing toys that guests may want to sink their teeth into and a Christmas tree decorated with cookie ornaments.
• Disney's Contemporary Resort will treat guests to a holiday toy shop featuring Pinocchio where they can buy holiday sweets. It will be located on the 4th floor of the main building of the hotel.
• In Disney's Yacht Club Resort lobby a miniature train will race around a sugary mountain and village where small gingerbread houses and collectible pins will be sold in merchandise stores.
• Santa's Bakeshop, located in Liberty Inn at the American Adventure pavilion at Epcot will be located in Santa's Gingerbread House — a life-sized structure made entirely of gingerbread, cookies and icing. Guests may purchase Christmas cookies and hot and cold beverages from inside the gingerbread house.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has never been so delicious! Guests to the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant at Disney-MGM Studios will be treated to a four-foot version of the almost 200-foot structure. The Tower of Terror "replica" will be made entirely of gingerbread, icing and sugar.