A thick bechamel cooks with finely diced ham or cooked chicken until it pulls away from the pan in a glossy mass. Chilled overnight (or at minimum 4 hours) until firm enough to shape into small cylinders. Each croqueta is breaded twice for a crisp shell that holds the soft, almost-pourable filling inside. Shallow-fried, not deep-fried, at moderate heat.
A simple yellow dough (flour, lard or butter, water, salt, annatto or paprika for colour) rests cold while a picadillo-style ground beef filling cooks: sofrito, beef, tomato, olives, raisins, capers, cumin. Filling and dough chill separately. Rounds get filled, sealed with a crimped edge, and deep-fried until golden, blistered and hollow-sounding. Hot is best.
All-butter puff pastry (homemade if you've the patience, shop-bought all-butter if you don't) is rolled out, cut into squares, topped with a slab of guava paste and a chunk of cream cheese, then sealed into a parcel or topped with a second pastry square. Brushed with egg wash, baked at high heat until golden and puffed. While hot, brushed with a simple sugar syrup for the shiny finish.