Partied Out? Not Yet.

Around here, most people stop celebrating the season the 2nd of January, and get back to work. Not us. We've still got three more traditional feasts to go.

Yesterday was Twelfth Night (remember the "12 days of Christmas"?), the date of the traditional "Dia de los Reyes", day of the Kings, or Wise Men. We celebrated Mexican style, with the obligatory bread ring ("Rosca de Reyes") and hot chocolate.


My son, again, did the honours. His bread this year was better than ever; moist and not too sweet. He usually uses a recipe from a 1974 Sunset Books Cook Book, which is good enough, but just a little too elaborate. I just counted: 17 ingredients, plus toppings!

This year, he used the recipe from "Like Water for Chocolate". Much simpler, and more as I remember it.

I got sidetracked, looking up the recipe to share it here; the recipes in the book are integral to the story, and I ended up reading all afternoon. That is one entertaining (and strange) story! I had seen the movie, but never read the book.

And here's the recipe, for a crowd:

1. 1 oz yeast
   
2. 5 lbs. flour
3. 8 eggs
4. 1 Tbsp salt
5. 2 Tbsp Orange blossom water (I have no idea what this is; substitute with a bit of orange rind.)
6. 1 1/2 c. milk
7. 2/3 lb. sugar
8. 2/3 lb butter
9. 1/2 lb candied fruit

Mexican recipes use weights, not volume; I did convert from kilos and grams to pounds to make it a bit easier.

Soak yeast in 1/2 cup of warm milk; add 1/2 lb. of the flour, set aside in warm place to rise.

On a floured board, make a pile with the rest of the flour; hollow it out to make a well for all the other ingredients. Mix in gradually by hand, kneading until completely blended. Add raised yeast and flour mix, knead until smooth.

Set in a greased bowl, covered by a napkin, to rise until double in size. Turn out on floured board, and stretch into a long strip. Roll up, move to a large greased baking sheet and form a ring, with the seam side down. Set in the warm place to rise again, until double.

Decorate surface with candied fruit, glaze it with a beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes. Cool. Serve with hot chocolate or coffee brewed with a cinnamon stick.

A tiny china or plastic doll is inserted into the loaf, either before baking or afterwards; in this case, drizzle icing over the top, hiding where the doll is. Often, a wax-paper wrapped coin is also added.

The assembled guests and family each take turns cutting into the loaf, deciding how big a piece they want, and from which part of the loaf. The person who gets the doll will provide a party for all present a month later, on the 2nd of February, Groundhog Day.

And the person who comes up with the coin? Well, he just might get rich in the coming year. Or not.

And there's still one more seasonal celebration for our family: Chinese New Year, this year on the 7th of February. Most of us will be partied out by then, but a few will be found downtown watching the parade.

Whew!