Capirotada (bread pudding)

[Oak]

courtesy www.casaq.com

Capirotada/Bread Pudding
Traditionally, this old-fashioned bread pudding, served during Holy Week, is filled with cheese, apples, peanuts and raisins. Although the traditionalists scold me for doing so, I like to substitute dates and pecans.

2 cups Brown Sugar or Large Piloncillo
1 cup of Water
1 3" Cinnamon Stick
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Loaf of French Bread or 4–5 Bolillos
1 ½ cups Nuts (pick and choose; pine nuts, slivered almonds and chopped walnuts, peanuts, pecans)
1 cup raisins (or whatever dry fruit you like)
½ lb. Jack Cheese cubed or Queso Fresco crumbled
1 Tart Apple
Ice Cream or Whipped Cream

Boil brown sugar, water, cinnamon and vanilla until slightly thickened in sauce pan. Discard cinnamon stick. Cut bread into ½ inch slices toast slighted in oven with butter in 9" X 13" pan. Alternate layers of bread, cheese, nuts and apple with brown sugar mixture. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until thorughly heated. Serve warm into individual bowls with ice cream or whipped cream.

[Spoon]

Looks interesting; I've never had it.

Here's the cultural equivalent here in the Hillbilly Heartland...I may have posted this on one of the previous boards.


Uncle Cecil's Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Cecil is an Irish Methodist, so he favors a non-alcoholic sauce for his pudding.  He's only an honorary uncle, so I've provided alternatives.

1 C sugar         
3 TB vanilla extract
1 quart milk         
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs         
1 C raisins
1/2 stick butter      
lots of leftover bread (about a pound, better if unsliced)

Tear bread into chunks, put in a large bowl and pour the milk over.  Wait 10 minutes, then mix with a large spoon or by hand so the bread is completely saturated.  Thoroughly mix in all ingredients except butter.  Slice the butter into pats; place the pats in a 9 x 13 baking dish and pour the pudding mixture over them.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until firm and light brown (pudding will rise.)  Let cool 30 minutes or more before cutting into squares.

Cecil's Vanilla Sauce:  combine in a saucepan 1 C sugar, 1 stick butter, 1/2 C half & half and
1 TB vanilla.  Bring to a boil, being careful not to scorch.  On reaching the boiling point, immediately reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, 5 minutes.  Pour sauce over the cut squares.

easy Irish Whisky Sauce: 
Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan, stir in 1/2 C sugar and stir until dissolved.  Turn off heat and whisk in 1/2 C Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur.  Drizzle over the pudding squares.

traditional Irish Whisky Sauce:
Melt 2 sticks butter in a saucepan.  Meanwhile, separate 2 eggs, putting just the yolks in a small bowl.  Beat the yolks thoroughly with a whisk or a fork.  Stir 1 C sugar into the butter, stirring until sugar melts and dissolves.  Slowly whisk the yolks into this mixture and remove from heat.  Slowly whisk in a scant 3 oz. good Irish whisky such as Jameson, and serve as above.

[Oak]

That looks like a good recipe as well.  I'll have to print it out and try it sometime.

The cheese may sound weird, but it tastes really good with the other stuff.