This classic old-fashioned dessert always makes an appearance during Lent in Mexico, though around Guadalajara and its environs, it can be a year-round standard. In the old cookbooks from Spain’s Middle Ages, capirotada was a savory layering of toasted or stale bread, poultry, a few vegetables and savory broth. Across centuries and continents, it has morphed into a sweet dish in Mexico. (That said, a number of older cooks I know still caramelize onions and tomatoes for their capirotada dessert, offering a lingering nod to that savory history.)
Most people translate capirotada as “bread pudding,” which is unfortunate, I think. That translation pulls you toward expectations of a custardy richness, maybe even whisky sauce. Capirotada has neither. What capirotada has in spades is dark sugar-and-sweet spice flavors that–if you follow the instructions here–begin to caramelize in the oven, giving the buttery bread an enticing texture that is enhanced by nuts and wine-soaked dried fruit.
This version is based on one from the venerable Josefina Veláquez de Leon, who wrote over a hundred cookbooks, the woman often called the Julia Child of Mexico, even though she lived a generation before Julia. Because this recipe–in fact, all traditional capirotadas–have no custard to hold them together, they can’t be neatly cut out of a baking dish for serving. That’s why I recommend, if at all possible, baking capirotada in individual serving dishes.
Note: If you’ve only got ground spices on hand, use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves in the syrup.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 cups bread cubes (½ inch pieces is ideal)
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/4 pounds Piloncillo , chopped OR 2 ½ cups dark brown sugar, well packed, plus ¼ cup molasses
- 1 1/3 cups red wine, divided use
- 4 inches Mexican cinnamon stick
- 6 cloves
- 2/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit (if the dried fruit you choose is in pieces larger than raisins, cut it smaller)
- 6 ounces (about 1 ¼ cups) mixed nuts (such as pecans, blanched almonds, peanuts or pinenuts)
- 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) Mexican queso añejo or another garnishing cheese such as queso fresco, farmer’s cheese, or dry goat cheese crumbles
- Vanilla ice cream (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Toast the bread. Heat the oven to 325°F. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until thoroughly dried and beginning to brown. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the bread, tossing and turning the pieces to ensure they are evenly coated. Return to the oven and bake until nicely golden, about 15 minutes, then scoop into a mixing bowl.
Make the syrup. Combine the chopped piloncillo (or brown sugar and molasses), 3 cups water, 1 cup of the wine, cinnamon and cloves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer gently over medium-low for 20 minutes.
Prepare the raisins and nuts. Toss the raisins with the remaining 1/3 cup wine and macerate for 15 minutes. If the nuts are not toasted, spread them on a baking sheet and toast in a 325°F oven until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the syrup onto the bread mixture, stir thoroughly and let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the oven up to 375°F.
Finish and serve the capirotada. Stir the toasted nuts and soaked raisins into the bread mixture, discarding any liquid the raisins haven’t absorbed. Scoop the mixture and any unabsorbed syrup into an 8 x 8-inch square baking dish or divide among 8 small (1-cup) baking dishes–the kind that are often used for individual souffles or flan. Bake until the mixture is bubbling nicely and the bread looks caramel-coated on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove, cool a little, then serve with crumbled fresh cheese and ice cream if you wish.
