Our Holiday Cooking Countdown to Delicioso

We are in the holiday cooking homestretch—Dec. 24 or Noche Buena is just 6 days away and Hannukah starts tonight. What are you going to make for your family fiesta? If you’re still finalizing your menu, here is our countdown to delicioso: 4 family-famous flan recipes from across Latin America, 3 ways to make pernil, 2 rum punch recipes, and 1 stunner of a holiday ham made by one reader’s dad every year on Christmas Eve in Panama. And for those of you celebrating Hannukah, how about these plantain latkes? Let’s cook our way home for the holidays, together. So much more fun and festive, verdad?

4 Flans for Your Season’s Festivities

Flan gets our vote for the perfect postre after la comida Navideña. It’s light, Latino-licious, and adds just enough sweet to satisfy. Will you make Lisa’s Panamanian flancito, my mom Marisa’s Puerto Rican flan with orange zest and a shot of Curacao, Frida Kahlo’s wedding flan, or Alicia’s Argentinian flan mixto made with dulce de leche? I’m partial to my mom’s, but all 4 are guaranteed to impress your guests.

3 Pernils for the Super-Rico Main Course

Pernil is one of the estrellas of the Latino Christmas dinner table. There are usually no leftovers. To honor her Boricua heritage, every year Bex Streeper, one of our favorite Puerto Rican-Mexican food homecooks, makes this slow-cooked cut of pork shoulder or leg that is marinated overnight and then placed in a low-temp oven until the carne falls off the bone. “Also, my family would kill me if I didn’t make it,” Bex says. Or you might make Liliana Hernandez’s Venezuelan pernil, the winner of our Recipe Contest. And we also love Belqui Millili-Ortiz’s Dominican version. All delicioso. You can never go wrong with pernil. 

2 Rum Punches for Your Thirsty Family & Friends

Sure you can make coquito (our go-to holiday libation, no doubt about it), but how about trying something new this year? Lisa Kear, one of our most trusted homecooks, loves to make Panamanian ron ponche. Her grandmother taught her how to patiently cook this custard-like punch that for Lisa is synonymous with Christmas, New Year’s, holidays and fiestas con friends and familia. Tell us all about it  and send photos if you make it!

And for the Big Feast Finale: 1 Holiday Ham

Our holiday cooking countdown’s gran finale: This family-famous baked ham recipe passed down to Lisa Kear by her father, Hector. When she was growing up in Colón, Panama, Lisa’s father would make this dish marinated in mustard and soy sauce for the main meal every Christmas Eve. Today, Lisa is honored to carry on their family jamón tradition so that her two daughters can experience it, too. She hopes they keep it going and make it for their future kids. That’s the Familia Kitchen way.

Feliz holidays a todos!