Recipes

Pastry chef Paola Velez gives Bananas Foster, the classic flambéed dessert, a Caribbean twist by swapping out bananas for plantains and adding warm spices and coconut water to the caramel sauce. If you can't find extra ripe plantains, place them in a brown paper bag and leave them in a warm, dark place until they ripen—very green plantains could take a week or more. When flambéing, make sure to have the lid for your skillet on hand in case the flame gets out of control and you need to smother it. Rum raisin ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to the caramelly plantains.

Bright with lime juice, this pozole recipe is rich from two cuts of pork and savory from the hominy and dried ancho and guajillo chiles in the mix.

The secret to these meatless Cuban-style black beans is to cook them at least a day in advance to allow the garlicky flavors to develop.

For Chef JJ Johnson, celebrating Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve, includes cooking pasteles with family.

Spicy chorizo, dark meat chicken, and a seafood trio of shrimp, mussels, and cockles come together on a bed of saffron-infused arborio rice for this sumptuous Spanish dish.

Sometimes called coconut eggnog, Coquito is served at Christmas and throughout the holiday season in Puerto Rico.