National Meat Week is an industry promotion that begins on the last Sunday in January. Running for eight days, the event invites restaurants to show their skills with the best cuts of meat.

This year, Meat Week begins on January 29th and runs through February 5th.

Chefs are challenged to offer their best and latest creations, from barbecue and pulled pork ready to filet mignon and foie gras.

The holiday began in 2005, when Chris Cantey and Erni Walker of Tallahassee, Florida, created Meat Week to celebrate barbecued meats across the country.

But you can celebrate with meat that’s prepared in any way: barbecued/smoked, braised, grilled/broiled, pan-fried, pan-seared, pot roasted, roasted, stewed, and stir-fried—and in the case of crudo and tartare, raw.

And of course, you can put your own skills to work at home.

This year, we’re having a nightly dinner with friends, going to a different home each night. It’s a great excuse to get together.

Here’s a tip from Sterling Silver Premium Meats:

Never cut into a piece of meat to see if it is done. This only allows the juices to run out!

 
 
> The different cuts of beef.

> The different cuts of chicken.

> The different cuts of lamb.

> The different cuts of pork.

> The different types of ham.

> The different types of ribs.

[1] Grilled steak (photo © Sterling Silver Premium Meats).

[2] Tamarind-glazed pork ribs (photo © Mackenzie Ltd.).

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[1] German chocolate cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Betty Crocker).

[2] Chocolate layer cake with peanut butter filling and frosting. The recipe link is at right (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[3] Chocolate icebox cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Kings Cupboard).

[4] Black Forest cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Sweet Street Desserts).

[5] Molten chocolate cake, also called lava cake. The recipe link is at right (photo © Galaxy Desserts).

What to bake on January 27th, National Chocolate Cake Day? Take a look at the chocolate cake recipes that follow.

> The history of cake and the different types of cake: a photo gloassary.

> The year’s 55 cake holidays.

> The history of chocolate.

> See the chocolate cake and wine pairings below.
 
 
MORE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES 

 
 
CHOCOLATE CAKE & WINE PAIRINGS 

Amarone. Amarone is very similar to Port, a classic dessert wine. This full-bodied red wine has a rich chocolate flavor, with spiced and coffee undertones. It’s an international favorite and a bit on the expensive side. If you’re on a budget, a Ripasso is a good substitute.

Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau is not specifically a dessert wine, but it is a young, simple, and fruity red wine made that pairs with desserts. It is made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France.

Brachetto D’Acqui. Brachetto is a sweet sparkling red wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. It’s the perfect affordable dessert wine that goes naturally well with everything from fresh fruits to pastries and elaborate desserts.

Lambrusco. Lambrusco, from Italy, is made in dry (secco), semi-sweet (semisecco), and sweet (dolce) varieties. The dolce wines can be very sweet. Perhaps get a semisecco and a dolce to see which you prefer.

Late Harvest Zinfandel. A contribution from California, late-harvest wines are made from grapes that are left on the vine after they’ve reached their peak ripeness. This intensifies the sweetness and delivers lush, nectar-like flavors.

Madiera. Oxidized, fortified wines such as Madeira from Portugal have been exposed to heat to develop a complex muted, caramel-like saltiness—think toffee, dried fruit, and orange rind—which complements any chocolate cake with nuts, including flourless chocolate cakes.

Rosso Dolce. Rosso Dolce is a blush wine produced in the Moscato d’Asti style, with residual sugars giving it an off-dry finish. Instead of the Moscato (Muscat Blanc) grape, it is produced with red grapes from the Trentino-Alto Adige area of Italy.

Tawny or Ruby Port. Ports are well-loved dessert wines from Portugal and are a natural pairing with anything chocolate (including a box of chocolates). Tawny Port has primary notes are caramel and hazelnut, with secondary berry and mocha flavors. Ruby Port is less complex with fruity flavors. (Here are the different types of Port.)

Vin Santo. This full-bodied, sweet dessert wine from Tuscany has aromas of hazelnut, caramel, honey, tropical fruit, perfume and dried apricot. In Italy, it is customary to have a glass after dinner with biscotti to dip into the wine.

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Here’s a gift for the home mixologist who wants to produce stunning designer ice cubes: The Ice Designer.

It’s an innovative brass plate that helps you create ice cubes in five different designs.

Custom designs are also available.

And National Ice Cube Day is June 21st.

You make the pattern by pressing the ice cube onto the brass plate. The thick, deep grooves in the highly conductive metal plate emboss the ice cube quickly and are relatively long-lasting in a drink.

Plus, the novelty never wears off!

This device is pricey ($197) but pays off in a lifetime of elegance.
 
Head to TheIceDesigner.com.
 
 
 
 
> The history of ice for drinks.
 
 
> Ice cube tray history.

One of the five ice cube designs (photo © The Ice Designer).

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