Mexican Capirotada

The few weeks before Easter, I was doing a lot of research on Lenten desserts. I came across so many that I highlighted and wrote about in the weeks leading up to the Easter holiday. One of them that I came across was something called Capirotada (ka-pe-ro-ta-da), which is a Mexican dessert traditionally eaten during the Lenten period, Good Friday and even on Easter. I kept this one to share with you now, because this bread pudding-like dessert is truly delicious to enjoy anytime.

The traditional dessert makes use of sliced bread rolls called bolillos that are toasted and then buttered. The bread slices are then layered with dried fruits (raisin, plums), assorted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) and cheese (traditional Mexican cheese or use your choice). After the whole thing is put together, it is soaked with a spiced syrup made from cinnamon sticks, anise and cloves (symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion on the cross), and the whole thing is baked for 30 minutes. Nowadays, you will also find more modern-day versions using fresh fruit like pineapple, bananas or grapes, so anything goes if you are going to make one that is non-traditional.

The syrup is made from something called piloncillo (pronounced pil-on-si-yo), and depending on where you live, you may have come across this product at the grocery store. Essentially, piloncillo is an unrefined cane sugar that is heated and molded into different shapes. It lasts for a very long time, and when you need some for your recipes, you simply shave a little off the block.

The largest producer is Colombia and their product is known as panela, but it is widely used throughout Latin America. Many recipes suggest dark brown sugar as a substitute for piloncillo in recipes, but those that are familiar with its unmistakable smoky, sweet taste simple say that there is really no comparison.

When I decided to make this dessert, I must say that I was a little hesitant. I had found a few remakes of the recipe using a little custard that was drizzled over the bread and layers of cheese and fruit prior to baking, but I really wanted to stick to a recipe that was as traditional as possible. Adding the custard sounded more like a baked French toast recipe, and I already know what that tastes like.

I did not have piloncillo on hand because I really don’t cook with it, so I had to use some dark brown sugar instead. I had some shredded Mexican blend cheeses on hand that included queso anejo and manchego in the mix, but you can use what you prefer. The more traditional cheeses used in this dessert are añejo, manchego or the crumbly cotija or queso fresco.

Once the dessert was put together, it baked for 30 minutes and we all could not wait to try it. If you decided to mold it like I did, make sure to invert it onto your serving platter while it is still warm, but don’t remove the cake pan for at least 10 minutes until it has set up…doing this will help it retain its shape while still warm. When you are ready to serve, enjoy it as is, or with a little whipped cream, ice cream or crème anglais.

I was very surprised at how delicious this really is. The contrast between the salty cheese and sweet syrup is something that I always enjoy, but I did not anticipate the crispy exterior and the warm pudding-like interior…it was very reminiscent of a custard-based dessert without the eggs, milk or cream. In the end, I found this to be  a truly lovely and simple dessert that you can enjoy at anytime.

Mexican Capirotada
1 small loaf of bread or 1 stick of French bread
butter
dried fruit or fresh fruit (I used pineapple and bananas)
nuts (I used pecans)
finely shredded mozzarella cheese **optional

Piloncillo Syrup
6 oz piloncilla
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 ½ cups of water

Add everything to a small pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 10 minutes until thickened, then remove from heat.

I used a loaf of bread, but you can use whatever you prefer. I trimmed the loaf so that it fit into a cake pan, and I kept all of the trimmings to use in the center and on top (which becomes the bottom of the dessert when you invert it.

First, grease the pan that you will be using. I used a cake pan, but if you prefer to make it homestyle and bake it in a baking dish,  you can do that too.

Begin by melting a little butter in a small pan and add each piece of bread to toast it well on both sides. I trimmed my pieces to fit in a cake pan, so as I toasted them in a little butter, I lined the pan immediately while they were still pliable.

Then you need to decide what you will be using as the filling. Make sure to choose your favorite nuts, fruits and cheese (if you are using it), and begin creating your layers. When you are half finished with the layers, coat the bread well with half of the amount of syrup, then finish layering and then top off with the rest of the syrup.

Bake this until it has heated through completely, about 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 15 minutes to set up before serving…should be served warm, but not hot.