A three-layer Piuran turrón, crisp and crumbly outside with sticky syrup between every sheet. Its golden-orange pastry breaks apart with each bite while a lemon-and-cinnamon syrup gives it the distinctive sweetness that made it a fixture of northern markets, schools, and sweet shops. Cut it into bars and you will understand why its name became synonymous with something done just right.
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Preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt; add the vegetable shortening and rub it in with your fingertips for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture resembles coarse sand with no large lumps of fat. Add the egg yolks, coloring, and a little over half of the water, mixing only until a firm, even dough forms; do not overwork it or the layers will lose their crumbly texture.
Roll the dough on parchment paper into a rectangle roughly 30 × 40 cm and 4 to 5 mm thick. Trim the edges and cut the sheet lengthwise into 3 equal strips, leaving a little space between them; prick the surface all over with the tip of a knife so the layers stay flat. Transfer the paper and all three strips onto the baking tray and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until they are dry, firm, and lightly golden around the edges. Remove them carefully: they are still fragile while hot.
While the pastry layers bake, combine the sugar, remaining water, lime juice, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Boil over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, without stirring once the sugar has dissolved, until the bubbles become thicker and the syrup falls from the spoon in one thick, continuous thread. Remove the cinnamon and turn off the heat; use the syrup while warm, before it begins to set.
Place one pastry layer on the work surface and spread an even layer of the warm syrup over it, reaching almost to the edges. Cover with the second sheet, press gently with your palms, and repeat with more syrup; finish with the third sheet and press lightly once more. The syrup should hold the layers together without flooding or soaking them; if it still runs like water, give it a moment before assembling.
Let the assembled block cool for 20 minutes, until the syrup is sticky but set and the layers no longer slide when touched. Transfer it to a board, trim the edges if needed, then cut it into 12 rectangles with a firm, clean knife. It should crack gently as you cut, keep all three layers intact, and show a slightly elastic syrup between them. And that's it—chumbeque done just right.
