Southtown Star from Tinley Park, Illinois • 35

STAR PUBLICATIONS: Sunday, December 17, 1978 SH 35 Pastries From Bonkets to Beyond Plum Pudding: Or Where You Can Find Yuletide Goodies in South Suburbia By MARGARET BRADY Lets face it. Were all going to gain at least 10 pounds this holiday season, so why not do it right? Instead of stuffing yourself with the same old butter cookies, try a different tactic. For starters, check out Maiers bakery at 1036 Sterling avenue in Flossmoor. For two days out of every Christmas season the back workroom of Maiers bakery is magically transformed into a minisuburb where rows upon rows of cozy, one-room cottages may be found. But it would take an extraordinary individual to live in one of those dwellings and not eat him or herself out of house and home.

Why? Theyre made from gingerbread, (a dark molasses cake flavored with ginger) the same material which composed the house that the two fairy tale characters of Hansel and Gretel munched on when they were lost and hungry in the woods. You can rest assured, however, that when you reach for a chunk of the roof, a cranky old woman's voice will not cry out, Nibbling, nibbling, like a mouse, whos nibbling at my little house? IT IS QUITE appropriate, though, that both the creator of these delectable dwellings and the Brothers Grimm tale of Hansel and Gretel originate from Germany. In fact, Walter Hartung, the chief architect of the lebkucben," or gingerbread, houses was born in a bakery in Waldkappel, West Germany. There are six generations of bakers in Hartungs family. His-father is still managing a bakery in Waldkappel, where Walter studied for eight years to earn his meisterbrief, or master diploma, in 1930, certifying him as a craftsman in the art of baking.

Three of those eight years were spent as an apprentice, and the other five as a journeyman, for which he earned $1 a week, or 50 cents in todays terms. The result? Hes a perfectionist, Helen Hartung said of her husband. And it shows, especially around Christmastime when the Har-tungs revive the dying art of gingerbread bouses. It all begins with the baking of the gingerbread, which is completed in one days work. The dough is divided into seven pieces for each bouse two roofs, two sides, one backside, one frontside and one door.

A creamy white mixture of dried egg white, powdered sugar and water is used as a cement-like substance to hold the pieces of the house together. The cement is a type of meringue called royal icing." Assorted cookies are placed at various spots on the roof, which has been covered with a snowy layer of royal icing. Other cookies are placed in the creamy snow" which surrounds the house. SINCE THE icing dries in a matter of seconds, the workers must race around like little elves, quickly placing the chimney, sprinkles and cookies en the roof, and securing the front door to its hinge of icing. A smiling paper face of Santa Claus decorates the houses front door, while a plastic Santa and eight tiny reindeer sit atop the gingerbread dwelling, ready for take-off.

Red acetate substitutes for glass windows and a star cookie shines just above the front entrance. The entire abode is edible, except for the chimney and Santa, as well as the plastic reproductions of Hansel and Gretel, and the evil witch and her cat, all of which are firmly secured in the snow in front of the house. Once the house has been decorated, it must dry for two to three days before it can be wrapped. While some restaurants buy the houses for display purposes, and though gome people buy the houses as gifts, others prefer to purchase them for their own culinary pleasure, first eating the decorative cookies, then the front door, and then attacking the roof. But there is no real proper way to eat a gingerbread house.

MR. AND MRS. Hartung are assisted in their efforts by Linda Pleckham of Frankfort, who has been with the bakery for about three months. Ever since eighth grade, Linda has wanted to be a baker, and now, after attending a bakery school in Schaumburg, it looks as though her wish will come true. At any rate, she has a genuine craftsman for an instructor.

Walter Hartungs desire for perfection is evident in the way in which he instructs his wife in the formation of the creamy white icicles that tenuously hang from the edge of the roof. After several rows of successful icicles, Mrs. Hartung exclaimed, Son of a gun! 1 learned something today. She admits that if gingerbread houses were on their list of goodies to make all year round, they would probably all go crazy! Walter Hartung feels that gingerbread houses are not made in homes very often because of the special equipment and training needed. A lot of tedious work," is how he describes the gingerbread creations.

But its worth it in the end, since they always make less than they can sell. Helping to decorate the gingerbread bouses with king, cookies and candies are Mrs. Helen Hartung, wile of the master baker, and Linda Pleckham of Frankfort, an assistant recently graduated from bakery school. Its easy to see that these fantasy houses are everything that Hansel and Gretel and the Wicked Witch ever dreamed of, but Santa In his reindeer-pulled sleigh on the roof make the confections perfect Christmas pastries. "Come Anthea, let us two Go to Feast, as others do.

Tarts and Custards. Creams and Cakes The list could go on and on, but the 17th century poet Robert Herrick had the right idea. Perhaps Herrick himself would have eventually ended up in a place like Pearson's bakery, located at 1 West 16th street in Chicago Heights and 18670 Dixie highway in Homewood. Serving the area, and the Swedish population in particular, since 1946, today Pearson's is still a source of goodies for all occasions. And Christmas is no exception.

THE FUN BEGINS weeks before the holiday itself, as bakers like Paul Drzymalla of Chicago Heights prepare for the onslaught of bakery orders. Drzymalla, who originally hails from Germany, is the co-owner of Pearson's bakery and has been there for 20 years. And after 20 years, overseeing the preparation of dough for approximately 35 Joaves of Swedish jul kaka is no big deal. Jul kaka, or Christmas cake, is a type of circular-shaped bread with raisins and glazed fruit. The ingredients for jul kaka also Include water, yeast, sugar, butter, shortening, eggs, salt, flour, milk powder and cinnamon and cardamom flavoring.

The secret to a well-made jul kaka, according to Drzymalla, is in the manner of working the dough Though Pearson's has special equipment with which to do the kneading, the Individual baker who is attempting the Jul kaka must take heed that he does not overwork the dough, causing it to become runny. Also, the raisins and glazed fruit must be folded-not smashed into the dough. Dryzmalla warns. The dough is then set in the steam box which produces warm, moist air, until it rises by three-quarters of Its size. The last quarter of rising is completed in the oven at approximately 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

An icing made of powdered sugar and water is then spread over the surface of the bread. A TRADITIONAL Swedish table at Christmas would not be complete without a loaf of limpa bread, a bread which is typical of the northern part of Sweden. Water, yeast, sugar, shortening, salt, syrup, aromatic fennel seeds, orange peel and rye flour, or ragsikt, combine to make the limpa bread. Still hungry? There's always Danish pastry. It might surprise some die-hard fans of Danish pastry that their beloved goodie did, indeed, originate at the hands of the Viennese (Danish pastry translates as Wlenerbrod" or "Viennese bread Several hundred years ago when all the bakers in Copenhagen went on strike, demanding cash wages Instead of their traditional room and board wages, German and Viennese bakers were imported to replace the Danes These imported bakers started to fold butter into the yeast dough-an entirely new technique for the Danes When the strike ended, the Danes started to experiment by adding jam and almond fillings to the dough Origins aside, though, Christmas is a time for eating Luckily, here in the south suburbs we have been blessed with both plenty of bakeries and health clubs SO YOU HAVENT had your fill of goodies yet, eh? Maybe some Scandinavian pastries would 6 the trick.

It is hypothesized that, in order to beat the winter blahs and to dispell the gloom of the long, dark wintry days, the Scandinavians turned to their ovens as a source of warmth and light. The aromas and heat emitted from something baking in the oven would supposedly tide-the people over until the sun returned. But the Danish housewife who didn't have the time to make the baked goods herself could run out to the nearest "konditorier" or pastry shop. Here in the south suburbs one can pick and choose from quite a variety of bakeries. And there is no reason to overeat the same goodies each Christmas holiday.

If gingerbread houses arent your bag, then maybe a Holland bonket from Hufnagl's bakery at 18849 Halsted street in Glenwood suits your taste. A bonket is a long, stick-shaped pastry with pure almond filling, surrounded by flaky butter pastry dough. For candy freaks, Klepper's bakery at 17016 Park avenue in Tlnley Park has something for the sweet tooth, in addition to its full line of bakery goods. Imagine sinking your teeth into their 'solid milk chocolate candy or fudge. Finish the day off with some marzipan candies in various fruit shapes.

ARE YOU DREAMING of an Italian Christmas? Then perhaps youd enjoy some sfueiadeis from the Hi-Way bakery at 2633 Chicago road in South Chicago Heights. This flaky pastry is formed in the shape of a horn of plenty and measures four inches across by approximately five inches lengthwise. It is composed of several thin, flaky layers of dough, filled with a cream of wheat substance and coated with an Italian custard, which is a mixture of milk, sugar, flour and flavoring. The Hi-Way also offers rum babas, a sflowball-shaped treat which has been deep fried, soaked in rum, filled with cherries and Italian custard and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Perhaps you're interested in broadening your cookie horizons.

Maybe youd like to head on over to Fleckensteins bakery at 9601 West 194th place in Mokena. At Fleckenstein's an old family recipe brought from Germany is used to make pepper nuts, a European cookie made wth white pepper. IF YOU'D LIKEto try something from Marshall Fields pantry, maybe the tinned cakes and honey would titillate your taste buds, as well as offer a different gift idea. A group of three small tinned cakes, including an orange party cake, an apricot supreme cake and a lemon delight cake, come packed wth a container of honey. Different.

Or maybe what Aunt Martha would enjoy this year is an oldie but goodie like a plum pudding, complete wth crock Many a unique Christmas present may be found amidst the aisles of bakery goods, but thats nothing new. The Danes have customarily made miniature loaves of bread, wrapped them, pan and all, on individual bread boards and given them as presents. Not a bad idea. BUT TO GET back to our original search for the ultimate in fattening Christmas goodies: Master Baker Walter Hartung of Maiers bakery in Homeoowd roofs a whole subdivision of gingerbread houses. The basic house is constructed from seven separate gingerbread slabs.

(Star Publications Photos by Phil Faso) An Avant Woman Who Fulfilled the Ancient Dream she dropped the last part of the word as overtly sexist. Then, in keeping with her belief that the language of her ancestors should be brought to life again, she Hebraicized Myer. And thus Golda Meir was bom in the Middle East Harriet WOMAN ALIVE! Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Golda Meir, a truly remarkable woman, is that she was so far ahead of her time. As a member of a minority group in America, Golda discovered her roots in an era when the melting-pot ideal was encouraging many ethnics to attempt disassociation from theirs. As a woman, she established her personal identity during the period when females were not encouraged to have any, when they were to find satisfaction through close association with men.

faith and found them valid for these new times. Coming to terms with this led her inexorably to the next step to a dream of a Jewish homeland where the best of the past would come to life again in modern form. GOLDA WANTED to emigrate once more, this time to Palestine, to work for establishment of a Jewish state in the same place that such a nation existed in Biblical times. Her husband reluctantly -accompanied her; but he didn't share her dream. After a time they divorced and he returned to America without her.

Family solidarity is an important and abiding element in Judaism. No one can ever know what it must have cost this woman, not yet 30 years old, to break with a key portion of the tradition that meant so much to her. Yet the call of the dream was stronger than the pulling of personal reality. Women today think they are doing something new in retaining their maiden names after marriage, or returning to them after divorce. Golda did more In 1938, and her shout of individual identity was like the loudest being sounded today Her name was Myerson, a patronymic based on a fa ther-and-son combination far back somewhere in family history But this woman was no one's son.

THAT IS HOW the world knew her through the early days of Jewish resettlement in Palestine, as she brought her remarkable mind and skills to making preparation for the coming true of the dream When it did, in 1948, a vigorous Golda at 50 stood as a prime architect of Israeli statehood. Her vigor diminished little over the last 30 years, through acts of war and efforts at peace People joked about Mrs. Meir making chicken soup and being Jewish mother to the world, but there was love and respect in their laughter Her place in history was secure. Women and ethnics have caught up with Golda in recent years, finding themselves and their histories. But she was a first; she was ahead That is the mark of true leadership, that there is something worthwhile to catch up with.

The unknown proverbist anticipated Golda Meir when these words were penned; "Many daughters have done valiantly, but thou excel lest them all." Golda, born in 1898. was a small child when her family emigrated from the Ukraine to Milwaukee, Wis. Although they and other hopeful immigrants did not find the streets of their new country paved with gold. America was indeed the promised land of opportunity for them. A girl like Golda, who in the ghettoized system of eastern Europe at that time would have received only a rudimentary and cursory education, had a chance at expanding her minri to full potential through the public schools.

She took advantage of it. She was a top student who first made her family proud, then fearful, because of her abilities and her accomplish merits evitable. Golda, having found herself as a person, wanted to get out into the world and do things on her own. Her family, hard and fast in its belief that womans place was in the home of some man. wanted her to marry and settle down The emerging Golda, a product both of environmental forces and internal pressures, made the only compromise she could under the circumstances She married, but she also continued to do things.

One might say today that she did her own thing" while also filling the acceptable roles of housewifery and motherhood. Her own thing was a rediscovery of the history and philosophy of Judaism. While many Jews and other ethnic immigrants of the day were discarding the old ways in an almost frantic effort to emulate the majority culture and become assimilated with it, Golda studied the ancient values of her society was in- HARRIET MARCUS GIVEN THE CLIMATE of Americ. soon after the turn of the century, coni MM I i 1 4.