Three-Flavor King Kong

Combine the flour and salt and make a well in the center. Add the egg yolks and 125 ml of the water, mix into a firm dough, then gradually work in the vegetable shortening. Knead for 5 to 6 minutes, until smooth, compact, and flexible without feeling greasy or sticking to your hands. Cover and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

While the dough rests, peel the yellow sweet potato, cut it into pieces, and cook it with 500 ml of the water for 15 to 18 minutes, until completely tender and a knife slides through without resistance. Drain thoroughly and pass it through a potato ricer while hot to obtain a smooth purée.

Place the sweet potato purée in a saucepan with the chancaca and the remaining 100 ml of water. Cook over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture becomes a dark, thick paste that briefly exposes the bottom of the pan when the spatula passes through. Fold in the roughly chopped toasted peanuts, cook for 1 minute more, and leave to cool.

Finely chop the pineapple and cook it with the brown sugar and lemon juice over medium-low heat for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring frequently, until glossy, thick, and with no loose liquid around it. A spatula drawn through the mixture should leave a path that takes a moment to close. Remove from the heat and cool.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each one into matching rectangles about 2 to 3 mm thick. Prick the entire surface with the tip of a knife and arrange the sheets on trays lined with parchment paper; keeping them even is what allows the finished block to sit firmly.

Bake the sheets at 165°C for 16 to 20 minutes, working in batches if needed, until dry, firm, and only lightly golden around the edges. Do not aim for deeply browned pastry: the hojarasca should stay pale and crisp. Cool completely on a rack before filling.

Place down one hojarasca sheet and spread the peanut filling evenly over it. Add the second sheet and spread all the manjar blanco almost to the edges; place the third sheet on top, spread over the pineapple filling, and finish with the fourth sheet. Press very gently with your palms, just until the block is stable without cracking the pastry or squeezing out the fillings.

Let the assembled King Kong rest for 15 minutes, then cut it into 12 portions with a serrated knife, using long strokes without pressing down. A proper slice shows four distinct pastry sheets and three different bands of filling: dark peanut, creamy manjar, and glossy pineapple. And that's it! Three flavors, because apparently one was never going to be enough for Lambayeque. 😌