[1] No matter what cut of steak you’re cooking, a homemade steak sauce adds palate excitement (photo © Tom’s Kitchen Chelsea).

[2] More restaurants are slicing the steak in the kitchen, making it easier for the diner to cut bite-size pieces (photo © Barbacoa | Boise).

[3] How about a sliced porterhouse (photo © The Jones Family Kitchen | Belgravia).

[4] Chimichurri tops a line of sliced steak (photo © Roast Restaurant).

[5] An extra treat: a choice of two ormore steak sauces (photo © The Jones Family Kitchen | Belgravia).

A word about National Steak Day, a new holiday created by a cloaked group of steak restaurants and online sellers of beef*. We can’t find who set up the website, which proclaimed the holiday on April 25th, 2019. It may have originated in the U.K. It may have only been held in 2019.

The timing isn’t great for National Steak Day. April 27th is National Prime Rib Day. And an earlier, risqué holiday, proclaims Steak and a [Sexual Act] Day on March 14th. June is National Steakhouse Month.

Questions notwithstanding, we’re taking the day to present five updated steak sauce concepts from chefs nationwide.

The goal of the chefs was to give the classics some trend-forward flavor. Via Flavor & The Menu, a website for chefs to find inspiration for their recipes, we present, in alphabetical order:

Below:

> 5 popular steak sauce recipes and how to elevate them.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The different cuts of beef: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 25+ beef holidays.

> Steak au poivre: The fancy steak recipe with its own holiday.

> Chicken-fried steak recipe.

> The new Surf & Turf.
 
 
5 STEAK SAUCE RECIPE UPDATES
 
 
1. CHIMICHURRI SAUCE: The garlic-parsley-vinegar assertiveness of this Argentinian classic cuts through the richness of steak (here’s a recipe). For a contemporary version:

 
 
2. HORSERADISH SAUCE: To the classic, creamy horseradish heat (here’s a recipe), add:

 
 
3. HOLLANDAISE SAUCE: This classic French mother sauce is creamy and unctuous but a bit bland. Bearnaise sauce, a secondary mother sauce, kicks up the flavor by adding tarragon and shallots to a wine reduction.

But hollandaise can be the base for any bold flavor.

 
 
4. BORDELAISE SAUCE: This classic red wine sauce can be tweaked with:

 
 
5. PEPPERCORN SAUCE: This lightly creamed, peppery sauce with brandy accents, can be modernized with the addition of:

 
 
Take the plunge and make a new steak sauce. Creativity is contagious!
 
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Every year for Earth Day, April 22nd, we try to implement one small thing to help save the planet. For years, we’ve been carrying empty cans and bottles back home to recycle. We established a “Saturday seek-out” to find leftovers and produce from the past week that is about to expire, and we eat them before they become food waste, a major contributor to climate change.

This year we discovered For Good compostable food wrap and zipper bags. If you’ve been hearing about the dangers of microplastics, the impact of plastic bags on the environment, and some dangers of plastic food wraps, you need to take a look at the products from For Good.

For Good is a family of sustainable, compostable household staples. The brand has wraps and bags that break down into carbon and water, leaving no trace of microplastics. You can get earth-friendly, feel-good:

 
They are as sustainable as they are functional and convenient. They are:

 
One percent of every purchase goes to providing nutritious meals to food-insecure communities.

HEAD TO FOR GOOD AND ORDER SOME BETTER-FOR-THE-EARTH SUPPLIES.

There’s free shipping on your first order

[1] For Good’s compostable food wrap (both photols © For Good).

[2] There are compostable zipper bags in three sizes.

*FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit, multistakeholder organization established in 1993 that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] A toast to Queen Elizabeth (photo © AG Photographer | Canstock Photo).

[2] There are two matcha holidays: February 6th in Japan and May 2nd in the U.S. You can celebrate both (photo © Matcha Co. | Unsplash).

[3] Hibiscus iced tea with blueberries (photo © Blueberry Council).

April 21st is the birthday of England’s Queen Elizabeth, born in 1926. It’s also National Tea Day in the U.K., created in her honor. But there are many more national tea holidays in the U.S., and others to celebrate worldwide.

In fact, a list of 24 tea-related holidays follows.

So, fellow tea lovers: get ready to celebrate year-round, guided by the list that follows. There’s at least one holiday in every month except July.

(July is National July Belongs to Blueberries Month, so perhaps some blueberry iced tea—photo #3?)

The holidays originated in the U.S., except as noted.

But no matter what country or people established the holiday, you can celebrate alongside them.

For National Caffeine Awareness Month (March), celebrate with decaffeinated tea or herbal tea.

> The history of tea.

> The history of iced tea.

> The history of tea bags.

> The history of afternoon tea.

> The different types of tea and terminology: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 24 TEA HOLIDAYS & RELATED DAYS

 
________________

*The Nibble created Afternoon Tea Day in honor of Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who created the custom of afternoon tea. She was born on September 3, 1783. Here’s the story of afternoon tea.

**Tea for Two Tuesday is dedicated to enjoying tea with a friend, family member, loved one, or colleague. The day was created by Holiday Insights in 2016.

†There are two Japanese Tea Days celebrated in Japan, plus other tea days.

‡International Tea Day was established by the world’s tea-producing countries in 2004, to draw attention to the impact that the tea trade has on workers and growers. Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam.