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Historic Hudson Valley Gingerbread Houses

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Historic Hudson Valley Gingerbread Houses

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Anyone who happens to be near the Ritz Carlton, Westchester in White Plains should step inside and check out the replica of the Philipsburg Manor historic site on display.

It is almost good enough to eat.

"It was made by hand, using gum paste," said Irma Rios, one of the three Ritz Carlton pastry chefs responsible for making the gingerbread replica. "All things you could eat. The little cat sitting outside the window, the two men-the whole house is edible."

On Monday, the hotel unveiled its 270- pound gingerbread representation of the Philipsburg Manor inside its lobby. The replica will be on exhibit for about a month.

Philipsburg Manor, located in Sleepy Hollow, was a thriving farming, milling and trading center in the 18th Century that was run by the Philipses, a family of Anglo-Dutch merchants who took over the property in the late 1600s.

Rios, along with Samantha Cohen and Jackie Veliz have been building gingerbread replicas of local historic sites to display at the hotel for the past three years.

The first year, the trio built a replica of Washington Irving's Sunnyside in Irvington. They followed that up last year with a replica of Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate, in Sleepy Hollow.

"As a group, we came up with the concept and the chefs, being the experts, come to us and tell us if it can be done," Jeff Dziak, general manager of the Ritz Carlton, said. "It's been three years in a row and they've hit three home runs."

The chefs pick their projects by scouting Hudson Valley locations that are popular and can be replicated using candy. Once they find a site, the crew spends a number of hours drawing up plans before moving forward with construction.

It took 150 man hours to sketch, bake, assemble, and decorate the houses which were made of 50 pounds of powdered sugar, 35 pounds of cake flour, 15 pounds of granulated sugar, 10 pounds of brown sugar, 8 pounds of butter, 8 pounds of eggs and 7 pounds of egg whites.

A handmade motorized water wheel, a gingerbread/gum-paste bridge were also added. Anyone who looks closely enough may also notice the 15 varieties of candy that were used for decorations, which range from Kit Kats and M&Ms to jellybeans and gummy bears.

Veliz said the most exciting part about building the replica was the water wheel.

"This year, we really wanted to build the motion piece," Veliz said. "We wanted to add a different element to it. The most difficult part about the entire structure was conceptualizing everything we saw at the Philipsburg Manor into one piece."

The construct is held together by royal icing, which is made of egg white, cream of tartar and powdered sugar.

"It's the traditional icing for gingerbread houses and the reason why we use it is because it becomes really hard and stiff," Cohen said. "It's kind of like an edible glue. It's very sweet, but it doesn't really taste that great since it is really hard.

Cohen said the crew will check on their creation throughout the month to see if any touch up work needs to be done.
"We'll see if any candy goes missing, if there are any cracks in the gingerbread and if it's in good condition," Cohen said.

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Edible Philipsburg Manor on Display at Ritz Carlton

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Anyone who happens to be near the Ritz Carlton, Westchester in White Plains should step inside and check out the replica of the Philipsburg Manor historic site on display. It is almost good enough to eat. "It was made by hand, using gum paste," said Irma Rios, one of the three Ritz Carlton pastry chefs responsible for making the gingerbread replica.

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At luxury hotels like The Ritz-Carlton Westchester in downtown White Plains, the "ladies and gentlemen" who work their take pride in making sure that even the smallest of details are done well - right down to the cupcakes that are served to guests.

As the hotel celebrates its fifth anniversary in White Plains, The Ritz-Carlton is using its gourmet cupcakes as a way to help support the community.

Hotel general manager Jeffrey Dziak says the pastry chefs at The Ritz-Carlton's Crème de la Crème Sweets have created a new cupcake - a "Pot of Gold" cupcake - that will be sold all year, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

The "Pot of Gold" cupcake is a chocolate stout cupcake filled with Jameson ganache, topped with Bailey's frosting, chocolate tuile and edible gold leaf. Price: $5.

While the cupcake is new, Dziak said the idea of sharing the proceeds from cupcake sales is not new at the hotel.

In 2010, The Ritz-Carlton began its Cupcakes That Care program. The program takes the sweet treats and gives them a dual purpose: satisfying the sweet tooth and raising money for local non-profit organizations that have been hand-picked by the hotel's staff. The cupcake flavors and the designated charity change each season.

Fall:
White Chocolate Maple Cupcake
Sweet and Tart Cranberries Baked into a Maple Infused Cupcake
Topped with White Chocolate Buttercream

Winter:
Mochachino Caramel Cupcake
Decadent Chocolate Cupcake filled with Caramel Sea Salt
Topped with Mocha Caramel Buttercream

Spring:
Strawberry-Rhubarb Cupcake
Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcake
Topped with Citrus Buttercream

Summer:
Pineapple Upside Down Cupcake
Pineapple Cupcake
Topped with Brown Sugar and Rum Buttercream Finished with a Candied Cherry

Who makes the cupcakes? Jacqueline Wong and Samantha Cohen

Jacqueline Wong, Culinary Supervisor and Lead Cake Decorator
Culinary Supervisor and Lead Cake Decorator, Jacqueline Wong executes her creative and artistic talents by constructing beautiful wedding cakes, exciting seasonal cupcake flavors and designs, and gorgeous, unique specialty cakes for any occasion. Jacqueline graduated with an Associates Degree in Specialized Technology from the Le Cordon Bleu Program in Pastry Arts at Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. She began her culinary journey in 2003 as a baker at The Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis, MA and then expanded her repertoire at The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA as a Pastry Chef until 2008. She now shares her incredible talent and creativity at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester where she creates delicious and lasting memories for our guests.

Samantha Cohen, Lead Baker
Lead Pastry Cook, Samantha Cohen is a creative and passionate pastry chef with years of practical experience in pastry production. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor of Science in Baking and Pastry Arts. Beginning her career as a Pastry Assistant at Cocoa in Larchmont, NY where she assisted in the production of sophisticated chocolate confections, Samantha then became a Pastry Cook at Emily Shaw's Inn at Pound Ridge and at BLT Steak in White Plains, where she prepared all dessert items on the menu, as well as creating new ones for weekly inspirations. She is now expressing her talents at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester by creating incredibly delicious and beautifully executed desserts for any occasion.

The Ritz-Carlton Westchester features 146 luxury rooms, a spa with rooftop pool and fitness center, a lounge, and 10,000 square feet of meeting and special event space, including a 500-person ballroom. In addition, the hotel offers BLT Steak, located on the ground floor and Restaurant "42," on the 42nd floor.

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White Plains Hotel's Sweet Treats to Benefit Children's Hospital

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At luxury hotels like The Ritz-Carlton Westchester in downtown White Plains, the "ladies and gentlemen" who work their take pride in making sure that even the smallest of details are done well - right down to the cupcakes that are served to guests.

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A 240-pound gingerbread house replica of the Kykuit Mansion was put on display at the Ritz Carlton of Westchester on Wednesday afternoon.

The replica has 13 different types of candy decorating it and three handmade gum-paste sculptures to match structures on the mansion, which housed four generations of the Rockefeller family in Pocantico Hills and is a Hudson Valley landmark.

The gingerbread house took four days and 150 man hours to sketch, assemble and decorate. It is made of 40 pounds of powdered sugar, 35 pounds of cake flour, 15 pounds of granulated sugar, 10 pounds of brown sugar, 8 pounds of butter, 8 pounds of eggs, 6 pounds of egg whites, 2 pounds of cream of tartar, 2 pounds of molasses, 5 ounces of baking powder, 2 ounces each of ginger and cinnamon, 1 ounce of clove and nutmeg and half-cup of lemon juice.

This is the second year Ritz Carlton chefs constructed the replica gingerbread house. Jackie Veliz, pastry chef, said last year's house was more whimsical, while this year's version built to look more like the actual mansion.

The Ritz Carlton chose the landmark for its gingerbread replica because of its iconic look, said Samantha Cohen, the hotel's lead baker.

"It's very significant, iconic," Cohen said of the Kykuit. "It has a few elements that would translate well to a gingerbread house."

The gingerbread house will remain in the main lobby of the Ritz Carlton through the holiday. Then, Veliz said, they will knock it down.

"That's probably the most fun part," she said.

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Ritz-Carlton Unveils 240-Pound Gingerbread House

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A 240-pound gingerbread house replica of the Kykuit Mansion was put on display at the Ritz Carlton of Westchester on Wednesday afternoon. The replica has 13 different types of candy decorating it and three handmade ...

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