This holiday season the delicious food keeps on coming! The West Boca’s culinary team has some wonderful recipes they would love to share with you this holiday season. Enjoy!

Chef Baumeyer: 

Mini Almond Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• 1 6 oz. Cream Cheese (Softened)
• ¾ c. Sugar + 3T. For the crust 
• 5 T・ Butter (melted)
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp. Almond Extract
• 12 oz. Graham Crackers (made into crumbs through a food processor)
• ½  c. Almonds (small bits by running through a food processor)
• 48 Aluminum Foil Mini Muffin Liners

Instructions:

• Make crust by using lc. graham cracker crumbs, 3 T. melted butter, and 3 T sugar.
• Crean together in a mixer with the whip attachment the cream cheese, Sugar, eggs, and almond extract.
• Fill each mini muffin tin almost to the top using a pastry bag.
• Bake For 15 minutes.
• Cool.

Topping:

• 1 c. Cream Cheese (softened)
• Powder Sugar (enough for sweetness)
• 48 Almonds (blanched and sliced)
• With a star tip, Pipe a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the center of the cheesecake and garish with a slice of almond.

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/3 c. Cocoa Powder
• 3/4 c. Sugar十3T. for the crust
• 5 T. Butter (melted)
• 2 Eggs
• l tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 2 oz. Chocolate Graham Crackers (made into crumbs using a food processor)
• 48 Aluminum Foil mini Muffin Liners

Instructions: 

• Make crust by using lc. chocolate graham cracker crumbs, 3 T. melted butter, and 3T sugar.
• Cream together in a mixer with the whip attachment the cream cheese, Sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.
• Fill each mini muffin tin almost to the top using a pastry bag.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Cool

Topping:

• ½ Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Using a small whisk, drizzle lines of chocolate over each cheesecake.

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. Cream Cheese (Softened)
• ¾ c・ Sugar + 3T. for the crust
• 5 T. Butter (melted)
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 12 oz. Vanilla Wafers (made into crumbs through a food processor)
• 48 Aluminum Foil Mini Muffin Liners

Directions: 

1. Make crust by using lc. vanilla wafer crumbs, 3 T. melted butter, and 3 T. sugar.
2. Cream together in a mixer with the whip attachment the cream cheese, Sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. Fill each mini muffin tin almost to the top using a pastry bag.
4. Bake For 15minutes.
5. Cool.

Topping:

• Make a blueberry topping by heating fresh blueberries in a saucepan until liquid is
• extracted.
• Cool the liquid and mix with cornstarch to thicken the blueberries.
• Cool the blueberry topping.
• Place l tsp” of the blueberry topping on each cheesecake.

Harriett Dixon – Southern Cornbread Rice Dressing:

Ingredients: 

• 11 pieces of white loaf bread, toasted on both sides
• 3 cups (raw) minute rice, cooked
• 1 cup of chopped celery and onions 
• 2 tablespoons of butter 
• 2-3 quarts of chicken broth, warmed
• 5 eggs 
• 1 can, Cream of chicken soup
• Few drops of red hot sauce
• Pan of cooked cornbread (11×13), best prepared in advance 

Directions:

1. Saute the celery and onions in the butter. Keep covered so they steam and do not brown. This can be done in advance and kept in the refrigerator for a day or so.
2. ln a very large bowl tear the toast into small pieces. Cover with some of the warm broth so bread begins to absorb the broth.
3. Crumble the cooked cornbread into the same bowl. Use your hands to break bread into small pieces.
4. Pour rice over the bread broth mixture.
5. Add more broth, Start with 2 quarts, add more as needed.
6. Slightly beat each egg separately and add to the mixture, Stir after each addition.
7. Pour it over the soup and red hot sauce and mix together.
8. May have to add more broth. Your dressing mixture should resemble raw cornbread mixture
9. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven in 11x13pan for 30 to 40 minutes.
10. Do not over cook dressing.The sides should be light brown. If you touch the center of the pan and the dressing is firm, not stickyI it is ready.

Angel Lopez – Pan De Jamón:

Yield: 1 (18 inch long) loaf

Ingredients:

• -1/4 c water, Warmed to 90F
• -¼ c sugar
• -1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• -4 c unbleached all purpose flour
• -3/4 c milk, Warmed to 80-90F
• -2 eggs, Lightly beaten
• -4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
• -1 tsp salt
• -1/2 tsp papelon, Panela, Piloncillo
• For the filling 
• -3/4 lb ham, Siiced
• -¼ lb bacon, strips
• -½ c. raisins
• -1 jar (5.75) pimento stuffed green olives, WhoIe, drained and patted dry
• -1 egg (for egg wash)

Instructions:

Making the Dough-

1. ln a medium bowl mix the warm water and sugar, until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle the yeast over top and set aside for 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl・ Add the yeast mixture, miik beater eggs, Papeion and sait
3. Mix until a dough comes together, 3″ Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured space and knead for 8-10 minutes- until the dough is soft and smooth.
4. Place The dough in a clean bowI, Cover it with a damp tea towel and let it rest in a warm, draft free place for 2 hours. 

Filling the Bread-

1. Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a rectangle, roughly a ½ inch thick (10×15 inches). 
2. Cover  the dough with the ham slices and bacon strips, arranging them almost to the edges. Sprinkie the raisins and Olives over he ham and bacon,
3. Once the fillings have been layered over the dough, tightly roll the dough up from the long edge. Tuck the edges under the roll and place it, Seam Side down on a baking sheet.
4. Let the dough rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes to l hour.
5. Near the end of this rising time, Preheat your oven to 375F.
6. Brush the loaf with an egg wash of l egg 7″ Bake the bread for 25-27 minutes, until the loaf is deeply golden and feels firm when tapped.
7. Remove the bread from the oven and carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cooI completely before saucing and serving”

Isabella Hansen – Frijol con Puerco:

Ingredients:

• Pork (chopped chunks and ribs)
• One bag of black beans
• 3-4 C. Water 

Preparation:

1. Wash and rinse beans
2. Add black beans to your pot and cook for 40 mins
3. Add the pork chunks and ribs and continue to cook for about an hour (continuously check on it depending on how you like it cooked)
4. Serve in a bowl and add your optional toppings!

Some great options – (Chopped Onions, Chopped Radish, Cilantro, and Avocado) 

Honey Glazed Ham 

Ingredients (cooked for 2-3 hours at 350 degrees):

• 1 spiral cut ham with bone-in approx 7-9 pounds
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup pineapple juice or orange JulCe
• (optional- a few parcels of cilantro to add on top)
• Brown Sugar Glaze
• ½ cup pineapple juice or orange JulCe
• ½ c. brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼  teaspoon ground ginger