I've been so loyal to my old gingerbread recipe from my Sunday Suppers cookbook. But in an effort to find a gingerbread recipe that would easily feed 400 people, I found Nigella Lawson's. Wow.
I used pureed candied ginger instead of fresh ginger, and cooked it in a 13x9 pan instead of a 12x8 pan. I tried a little bite, and couldn't help but eat one entire end before it made it into work. It's moist, in an almost fudgy way, and just as fresh as the title promises.
Now I have to build up the confidence that this is, indeed, a worthy dessert for the Christmas concert. Picture it with a piped whipped cream star and a little gingerbread cookie on top. That sounds good, doesn't it? I hope so. For some reason I'm fragile beyond normal, and any comment of "oh, well, if we're just having gingerbread" is enough to send me spiraling into self-doubt. (Yes, the comment has been made.)
Regardless, I'm making 20 gingerbread kits this weekend to hand out to anyone who's willing to cook for me. If you have any ideas for a good drink that would be easy to serve (hot cider, for instance, is out), speak up!