Easter food

This is a traditional Lenten dessert in Mexico....essentially a Latin bread pudding.
I've made this before, using a recipe from Elizabeth Lambert-Ortiz's rich cookbook that is a culinary tour of Latin America - Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil.... This recipe is a combination of her recipe and Alberto Alvaro Rios' recipe from his book titled Capirotada.

This time I took pictures along the way, so you will see photos of the brown sugar syrup simmering, made with piloncillo (brown sugar in cones). Would you believe there is also onion, tomato and a chopped red pepper in this syrup? They are strained out and give this syrup a rich flavor. These are the bolillos or Mexican-style rolls and a copy of the book, signed by the autor. I got these ingredients at a Mexican grocery store out in Gresham, where they make their tortillas and pan dulce fresh each day. It smells like my childhood.

The large aluminum pan holds the first layer of ingredients - toasted bread, raisins, peanuts and toasted almonds, and prunes. Then you layer on the syrup and another layer of bread, raisins, etc. etc. with more syrup and cheese. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The final and top photo is the finished product was eaten up by parishoners at the post-Vigil feast. There was a spread of all kinds of desserts, sweet breads and candies.

Feliz Pascuas and Happy Easter!