From breakfast pancakes to a cocktail party favorite to a chef ’s favorite sticky date cake, these culinary establishments generously shared some of their most popular recipes adapted for home kitchens. Best of all, no reservations are required.
ARTHUR’S CATERING AND EVENTS
Arthur’s has been a top caterer in Winter Park since 1989, and the winter holidays are among the busiest, with December peaking at more than 200 events, says president and CEO Mark Leggett. These tartlets, often on Arthur’s cocktail party menus, are a “perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors with a flaky, crispy finish,” he says.
Leggett recommends pairing with rosemary-crusted lollipop lamb chops, shrimp cocktail and Boursin cheese, and fig jam with crushed pistachios and honey for a perfect party menu—all small bites that can be prepped ahead so you can enjoy the party.
Arthur’s Catering and Events
arthurscatering.com
Autumn Butternut Squash Tartlets
Makes 24
Mini-frozen phyllo shells make this an easy “one-bite” for holiday cocktail parties. You’ll need to roast a whole butternut squash, but the leftover squash is delicious with a little butter and a drizzle of honey.
2½ cups butternut squash (1 small butternut squash)
2 teaspoons oil, divided
3 tablespoons diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon butter, divided
1 egg
5 teaspoons heavy cream
¼ cup grated Fontina cheese
5 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons crumbled goat cheese
¼ teaspoon freshly minced parsley
¼ teaspoon freshly minced thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly minced rosemary
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 boxes frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
5 teaspoons panko breadcrumbs
For garnishing: Small dice any leftover butternut squash and roast for 10 minutes to crisp the edges, then top each tart with a few pieces. Garnish with microgreens or favorite fresh herbs.
1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Peel, seed and cube butternut squash and coat with 1 teaspoon oil. Roast for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and cool.
3. In a small skillet over medium heat, sauté onion in remaining 1 teaspoon oil and ½ teaspoon butter until soft and golden.
4. Using a food processor, purée the cooled squash.
5. Add the egg and cream to the squash in the food processor, blending well.
6. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in Fontina, Parmesan and goat cheese. Mix in herbs, cooked onions and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
7. Spoon 1 teaspoon of mixture into the tart shells, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon.
8. Melt remaining ½ teaspoon butter and combine with panko; sprinkle evenly over tarts.
9. Bake for 6 minutes, check the tarts and rotate pan to finish cooking until set, no more than another 2 minutes. Remove from oven, top with a few pieces of small diced butternut squash that has been roasted.
10. Remove from oven. Serve at room temperature garnished with microgreens or fresh herbs.
BOVINE STEAKHOUSE
BoVine serves a fine steak, but locals head to this Park Avenue restaurant for breakfast, too, mingling with out-of-town guests from adjacent Park Plaza Hotel. And while eggs Benedict is a big seller, the recipe for these morning pancakes was requested by a Winter Park Magazine reader, so BoVine owner Joanne McMahon
is sharing.
“The Monte Cristo pancakes are just a warm feeling on a plate,” says McMahon. Try them and see if you agree.
BoVine Steakhouse
319 South Park Avenue, Winter Park
bovinesteakhouse.com
Monte Cristo Breakfast Pancakes
Serves 1
This pancake-inspired twist transforms the iconic flavors of a Monte Cristo sandwich into a stack that’s easy to make with boxed pancake mix and ham and cheese from the deli. A quick homemade blueberry compote adds a special touch. With over-easy eggs, it’s a brunch-worthy dish for holiday mornings.
Ingredients per serving:
Blueberry compote (recipe follows)
Favorite maple syrup, to taste
Favorite pancake mix (BoVine uses Krusteaz)
Swiss cheese from the deli, thinly sliced
Black Forest ham from the deli, thinly sliced
2 eggs; powdered sugar, to taste
1. Make blueberry compote and keep warm until ready to serve.
2. Heat maple syrup in a small saucepan and keep warm until ready to serve.
3. Following instructions on pancake box, make 2 large pancakes for each serving. Keep warm in the oven until ready to assemble.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat with a dab of butter. Cook the eggs until the whites are fully set and solid on the bottom. Using a wide, thin spatula, gently and quickly flip the egg. Cook the second side for just 10 to 15 seconds to warm the top of the yolk, then remove immediately to prevent overcooking.
5. For each serving, place 2 warm pancakes on each plate and top with 2 slices of Swiss cheese, and 2 slices of ham. Top with hot eggs, a drizzle of warm blueberry compote, maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
Blueberry Compote
Makes about 4 cups
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2–3 tablespoons of sugar, to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a saucepan, mix berries, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer on medium heat until the fruit softens, thickens and creates a glossy, jammy sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve. Store unused compote in a jar in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
THE COURTESY BAR
Since 2017, The Courtesy Bar in Winter Park has transformed during the winter holidays into a Christmas-themed pop-up called Miracle on Orange, a kitschy tradition at selected “Miracle” bars around the world.
Mixologist and general manager Billy Masker says that the cocktails are the star of the holiday show—and the most popular is this vodka cocktail with a splash of cranberry and a spritz of absinthe.
Miracle on Orange starts November 19 and runs through January 2, 2027. Reservations are a must, especially for parties of three or more. Or just make this Chrismapolitan at home and skip the crowds.
The Courtesy Bar
1288 North Orange Avenue, Winter Park
thecourtesybar.com
Chrismapolitan
Makes 1 serving
This holiday twist on a Cosmopolitan makes
a festive party cocktail. You can find absinthe
at local beverage stores.
2 ounces vodka
¼ ounce dry vermouth
¼ ounce elderflower liquor
1 ounce Cranberry Cordial (recipe follows)
½ ounce lime juice
Spritz of absinthe
Fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish
1. Add all ingredients to a shaker, add ice, shake and fine-strain into a coupe glass.
2. Spritz rim of glass with absinthe and garnish with a rosemary sprig.
Cranberry Cordial
Makes a big enough batch to use throughout the holidays
2 cups 100% cranberry juice, not concentrate
½ can jellied cranberry sauce
4 cups white sugar
Stir together all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue stirring until ingredients dissolve. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
THE OSPREY
The Osprey is always our first recommendation for raw oysters, steamed mussels and Cedar Key clam chowder. Chef Michael Cooper partners with local farms and fisheries, and cooks over Florida oak and charcoal (then recycles those oyster shells to help restore Florida reefs).
Cooper grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, where “all I ate was shrimp, mussels, oysters, clams, crab, whatever fresh seafood was available,” he says. His family moved to South Florida where he got his first restaurant job as a teen-ager and never looked back.
Luma on Park Avenue is where Cooper’s career began in 2009, and, with a few stops in between, he landed his dream job at The Osprey in 2020. He opened a second restaurant with the Good Salt Restaurant Group, Osteria Ester in Thornton Park, in 2025.
The Osprey
4899 New Broad Street, Baldwin Park
theospreyorlando.com
Osprey Steamed Mussels with Fresh Herbs
Serves 2–3 as an appetizer, 1 as a main course
We’re saving this one for New Year’s Eve. Cooper loves eating with French fries, but we’re partial to crusty French bread. Lombardi’s Seafood usually has fresh mussels, and we recommend Prince Edward Island (PEI) mussels for sweet, tender meat and briny flavor.
1 pound Prince Edward Island mussels
¼ cup high heat oil, such as avocado or canola
1 shallot, cut into thin rings with mandoline or sharp knife
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
Red pepper flakes to taste, optional
½ cup white wine (“something sweet and herbaceous,” says Cooper)
½ cup shellfish or chicken stock
½ cup European-style butter, cut into cubes, more to taste
1 Meyer lemon, halved with seeds removed
¼ cup freshly chopped herbs, such as a blend of flat leaf Italian parsley, tarragon, dill and chives
Favorite crusty bread or French fries, for serving
1. Clean the mussels by soaking briefly, then scrubbing the shells and removing the fibrous “beard” by pulling firmly toward the hinge. Discard any broken shells or open mussels that do not close when tapped.
2. Add the oil to a stainless steel pan or dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat until oil shimmers but does not smoke.
Stir shallots and garlic, making sure not to scorch. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
3. Gently stir in mussels to coat with shallots and garlic. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook the wine until liquid is reduced and nearly dry.
4. Add stock and butter and cover and continue cooking over high heat. Check after 2 to 3 minutes; mussels should be open and plump. If not, cover and continue to cook, checking every minute or so. Do not overcook.
5. Once mussels are open, remove from heat, add half of the lemon juice and herbs. Taste and add more lemons or butter, to taste.
6. Serve immediately in a large bowl to hold the mussels and broth. Serve with crusty bread or French fries for dipping.
THE RAVENOUS PIG
Pastry Chef Brian Cernell is the mastermind behind this Sticky Date Cake at The Ravenous Pig, a sweet ending that stays on the menu all winter long because of its versatility.
“We serve it with roasted pears, apples, cranberries, strawberries … whatever’s in season that month,” says Cernell. But it’s so popular that you might find it with fresh peaches on the summertime menu too.
Chef-owners James and Julie Petrakis have won countless awards, including the Michelin Bib Gourmand and accolades from the James Beard Foundation, for their restaurant where the menu changes day to day as the kitchen works with local farmers and artisans.
But such favorites as the Sticky Date Cake (and rock shrimp tacos and steak frites) never leave the menu—after nearly 20 years, some iconic dishes have earned permanent positions.
The Ravenous Pig
56 West Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park
theravenouspig.com
Sticky Date Cake
Serves 6 to 8
Butterscotch is Chef Brian Cernell’s favorite sweet—and this cake is covered in the silky, smooth sauce. The sweet cream topping makes a big batch, and Cernell says to use any extra over fresh fruit or in your coffee since it lasts up to a week refrigerated.
1 pound dates, pitted
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups boiling water
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9-inch square glass or enamel baking dish.
2. Place pitted dates, baking soda and boiling water in a large bowl and steep for 5 minutes. Purée with an immersion blender, leaving small lumps; mixture does not have to be perfectly smooth.
3. Beat egg and egg yolk with sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer until thick, pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in date purée.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder and gently fold into mixture
5. Place in baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Rotate halfway through baking time.
6. To serve, cut a small square and top with a generous amount of Butterscotch Sauce (“dripping down the sides,” says Chef Brian) and Sweet Crema.
Butterscotch Sauce
1 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups brown sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
1. Stir all ingredients together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook at a light boil (reduce heat if necessary), whisking constantly, about 6 to 9 minutes, or until mixture reaches 230ºF on a candy thermometer. It will thicken more as it cools.
Leftover sauce will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
Sweet Crema
2 cups cream
2 cups mascarpone
1 can sweet condensed milk
Place ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.