Capirotada: A Traditional Mexican Sweet Dish

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 16 ounces piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar cone), chopped
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 (18 ounce) loaf French bread, sliced
• 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped dried apricots

Step 1

Gently heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a pot, combine water, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks, sugar, vanilla, and cloves. Bring it all to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer until it thickens into a syrupy consistency, which should take about 10 minutes. Don't forget to fish out the cinnamon sticks once it’s ready.

Step 2

Lightly butter each slice of bread and lay them out on a large baking sheet. Pop them into the oven and toast until they’re nicely golden and a bit crisp, around 10 to 15 minutes. Let the butter soak in and dry a little while you get your pan ready.

Step 3

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, then start layering: put half of the toasted bread on the bottom, sprinkle half the Monterey Jack cheese, walnuts, raisins, and apricots over it, and drizzle half of the syrup so everything is nicely coated. Repeat with the remaining bread, toppings, and syrup. Cover the whole thing with foil.

Step 4

Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, then take off the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so, until the top is golden and everything’s heated through. Serve it warm and enjoy!