Capirotada - Mother's recipe

Seasonal

Mar 13

Capirotada ~ Lenten dessert dish

Another amazing woman, who played an integral role in my baking evolution was my mother, Rosalia Romero Peña. (She’s in the last photo dated August 1961.) My mother was from Colonia el Valle, Buenaventura, Chihuahua, Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager. My mom raised me and my two brothers with strong recognition to our Mexican roots. Culture through food is one of the many ways she paved our upbringing. She introduced me to this dessert dish, Capirotada. Just like many immigrants, she adapted to the availability of ingredients and switched out queso Chihuahua for queso Monterey or Monterey Jack. She also added colaciones (colorful Mexican candies), and in some occasions, grajea (colorful sprinkles).

Capirotada was one of my first real dives into a traditional Mexican cuisine.

My mother used traditional bolillos, sliced them up and toasted them with butter. These were set aside while the piloncillo was boiled along with cinnamon and cloves. The smell was incredible and was probably one of the reasons I was so interested and intrigued to learn more.

Today I showcase this family recipe using a bolillo de piso. A Bolillo is a French roll with pointed edges. Piso is in reference to the baking on a hot oven floor. The high heat creates a crust that maintains a soft, internal crumb structure. When toasted with butter, the Bolillo becomes the optimum ingredient for soaking in piloncillo syrup.

Find my mother’s Capirotada recipe on Barbara Hansen’s blog

Happy Women’s History Month!

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