Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

Mailbox: Recipes & Requests

E-Mail

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 12

Esmeralda Chavez of Modesto has looked everywhere for a capirotada recipe that was in The Modesto Bee several years ago. Chavez's grandmother used to make this dish, which is like a bread pudding.

This recipe was in The Modesto Bee on April 12, 2000. It was originally requested by Grace Lowe of Folsom. Marcia Clark of Orangevale found this recipe for Lowe in "Adventures in Mexican Cooking," a book in the Ortho book series.

Capirotada (kah-pee-roh-TAH-thah) is one of Mexico's most popular Lenten dishes. This dessert has many variations, but all of them contain cheese and fruit. This recipe uses walnuts, but in Mexico, peanuts, pine nuts and almonds are often used. Apples, prunes or other dried fruit can be used with or without the raisins.

It is important that the bread be completely dry. Slice, cube and dry sweet French bread in a shallow baking pan in a slow oven, being careful not to toast it.

• Ingredients:

4 cups brown sugar

2 whole cloves

2 pieces stick cinnamon, each about 2 inches long

¼ pound butter

2 quarts boiling water

2 loaves sweet French bread, oven-dried and cubed

2 cups walnuts, chopped

2 cups raisins, rinsed in hot water and drained

½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

½ pound longhorn cheese (a mild cheddar), grated

• Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks and butter to the boiling water and allow to simmer until a light syrup forms. Remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks.

In a large, buttered baking dish, layer bread cubes, walnuts, raisins and mixed grated cheeses until all the ingredients are used. Now spoon the hot syrup evenly over the bread mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve either hot or cold.

• Per serving: 905 calories; 22 grams protein; 135 grams carbohydrates; 33 grams fat (14 saturated, 10 monounsaturated, 9 polyunsaturated); 57 milligrams sodium; 5 grams fiber; 92 grams sugar; 33 percent calories from fat