Book of Days Tales

Today is the feast day of St Lawrence, aka san Lorenzo, who is particularly honored in Spain (where he was born) and in New Mexico because his saint’s day was the starting point of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 in which the various Puebloan peoples of the area rebelled against Spanish colonists, giving them the choice of leaving (immediately) or being slaughtered.

 

The story goes that Lawrence, being the treasurer of the church in Rome, was ordered by a prefect to turn over the treasures of the church.  Lawrence came back with the poorest of the poor, saying, “”Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the Church’s crown.” The prefect was not amused and ordered that Lawrence be burnt on a gridiron over a fire.  When he had suffered for some time he is reputed to have said, “Turn me over, I am done on this side.”

 

Any grilled dish is suitable for today’s feast, but here is a recipe for bizcocho de san Lorenzo.

 

Ingredients

 

½ lb chestnuts  

milk

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange-flower water

6 eggs

1 cup cornstarch  

orange marmalade

confectioners’ sugar

 

Instructions

Cut an X into the surface of each chestnut. Cover the chestnuts with cold water in a saucepan. Bring them to a boil and boil for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Take out the chestnuts and remove the shells and the inner skin.

Return the peeled chestnuts to a saucepan. Cover them with milk, and cook gently until they are soft enough to be put through a sieve or puréed in a food mill or food processor. Purée, and reserve.

Combine the sugar, orange-flower water, and eggs in a large saucepan. Beat vigorously with a whisk over low heat until the mixture is light and spongy. Add the chestnut puree, and then the cornstarch, a little at a time. Blend thoroughly, and pour the mixture into a generously buttered ring mold.

Place the mold in a pan of hot water in the oven, and bake at 350° F/175° C until the mixture is set, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn the bizcocho out of the mold, and cut it into slices about ¾ inch thick. Spread the slices with marmalade and sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar.