National Cheeseburger Day is September 18th, so have fun with it.

Instead of your personal standard, branch out and make your CB special. You can do it by using a different:

 
For inspiration in these areas (you might call it food porn), check out CheeseAndBurger.com.
 
But today’s tip is the easiest of all: Think outside the bun.

So many different types of bread—plain or toasted—are waiting to cradle your burger.

SUBSTITUTES FOR HAMBURGER BUNS

What should you use instead of a hamburger bun? The easiest answer:

Walk down the bread isle of your market and see what speaks to you. You’ll find more than enough yummy choices to re-envision your burger.

 
 
IF YOU WANT TO USE A DIFFERENT CHEESE…

We second that motion! But don’t make an obvious switch among American, Cheddar and Swiss slices. Consider:

 
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*It’s a personal thing, but we love stinky cheeses, both in general and in the way they complement the grilled, beefy aroma and taste of the burger. The aroma is not necessarily representative of the cheese. But the cheese is specifically crafted to create those earthy scents.

†Munster d’Alsace, also called Alsatian munster and French munster (optional spelling muenster), has nothing in common with bland American munster, except that they are both cheeses.
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[1] A baguette cheeseburger (photo courtesy Ian Warf | Pinterest). [2] In France, McDonald’s serves the McBaguette (photo McDonalds). [3] Try a hard roll, and don’t be afraid to go rectangular instead of round (photo courtesy Telepizza.de). [4] We love a burger on toasted sourdough bread (photo courtesy Omaha Steaks) [5] Pita: a natural pocket for your burger (photo courtesy Droolworthy Daily). [6] A natural: the English muffin burger (photo courtesy Thomas Breads).

 
Thanks to Crawford Ker of Ker’s Winghouse for these tips.
  

[1] Remove the frozen steak from the freezer (photo courtesy Mart2Go). [2] Place it in a hot pan (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [3] In 20 minutes, plate and enjoy (photo courtesy Eddie Merlot’s). [4] We use a mesh spatter screen, but we just ordered this folding spatter screen from Norpro.

Want a steak but you haven’t defrosted it yet?

No problem. Your steak will be ready in less than 30 minutes with this technique developed by Dan Souza of Cook’s Illustrated (thanks to Good Eggs for sending their adaptation to us).

Dan experimented by cutting strip steaks in half, freezing both halves, then defrosting one half before cooking.

He cooked both the thawed and frozen halves exactly the same way, and found that the frozen steak lost less moisture, cooked more evenly, and tasted better than the thawed half!

The steak needs to be frozen properly, since any extra moisture or ice will cause a flare-up when it hits the hot oil. Here’s Dan’s freezing technique:

HOW TO FREEZE A STEAK

 
RECIPE: COOKING A FROZEN STEAK

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 275°F. Set a wire rack atop a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

2. DRIZZLE 1/8″ oil into a cast iron pan—just enough to coat the bottom. Place the skillet over high heat. When the pan is smoking hot, gently lay the steak onto the pan and sear both sides until browned, 90-120 seconds per side. NOTE: Frozen steak splatters more.

3. TRANSFER the steak onto the wire rack and place in the oven. Cook until the steak is the desired doneness: 18 to 20 minutes for a 1-inch-thick steak to be medium rare (an internal temperature of 125°F on a meat thermometer).

4. COOK the veggies or prepare the salad while the steak cooks.

5. REST the steak for at least 3 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to settle in the meat, instead of pouring out when sliced.

Here’s a video of Dan’s preparation.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF STEAK

How many different types of steak have you had?

Check out our meaty Glossary Of Beef Types.

Something fun and yummy in the chocolate space is finally available in the U.S.

Merci, sold in Europe for some 50 years, is a brand of boxed chocolates manufactured by the German company August Storck KG.

They are miniature bars, in an assortment of flavors made with fine ingredients, nicely packaged in a gift box.

The delicious selection of rich European-style chocolates includes flavors such as Coffee and Cream, Cream Truffle, Dark Cream, Dark Mousse, Hazelnut-Almond, Hazelnut-Creme, Milk Chocolate and Praline-Creme, and merci will delight the palate.

Each flavor has its own individual color wrap, to distinguish it from the other flavors in the box.

The idea for merci was born in 1965, as an affordable yet impressive way to say “thank you” (which incorporates “thank you for being you”). Its popularity spread, and Merci is now sold in 100 countries.

Choices include:

 
The 20-piece box, with 8.8-ounces of chocolate, can be found for $7.50 (or more, depending on the retailer). You can purchase two boxes with free shipping for $21.90 on Amazon.

In addition to Amazon, the chocolates are sold at CVS, Target, Walgreens and other chains and grocery stores nationwide.

Can you give a box to yourself?

No one’s going to stop you!
 
MERCI WITH COFFEE

In Europe, after-dinner coffee is often served with a napolitain, also called a pale or tasting square, just 5 to 10 grams. One or two of these small wrapped pieces are placed on the rim off the coffee cup.

While Merci wrapped chocolates are stackable anytime, we enjoy serving them to guests with coffee. They easily can substitute for dessert, too.
 
 
ABOUT STORCK

[1] You can serve Merci from the box or in your favorite candy dish. [2] Merci’s dark chocolate collection (both photos courtesy Merci | Storck). [3] Instead of two napolitains with after-dinner coffee, serve one Merci bar (photo courtesy Sandstein | Wikipedia).

Its brands are sold worldwide. Best-known in the U.S. are Werther’s Original caramels and toffee (the difference), and Bendicks Buttermints, chocolate-covered after-dinner mints.

For more information visit Storck.us.

[2] The Bandera comprises shots in green, white and red, the colors of the Mexican flag (photo © Cazadores Tequila).

Yesterday, we explained how Mexicans celebrated with shots of Reposda tequila, aged for up to a year.

But what if you don’t like drinking straight tequila?

You can enjoy another tequila cocktail or a non-alcoholic Mexican drink. Here are some of the most popular, which can also be served for Cinco De Mayo:
 
 
RECIPE #1: MICHELADA: MEXICO’S BEER COCKTAIL

You can have a plain Mexican beer, of course. Bohemia, Corona, Dos Equis and others are commonly found across the country.

But if you like a bit of heat, have a Michelada (mee-cha-LAH-dah), a traditional cerveza preparada, or beer cocktail.

Michelada is a combination of beer, lime and hot sauce served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. Chela is Mexican slang for a cold beer, combined with mixto, referring to the the mix of ingredients added to the beer. Eliminate the hot sauce and you’ve got a Chelada.

Here’s the complete Michelada recipe.
 
 
RECIPE #2: PALOMA COCKTAIL, TEQUILA & GRAPEFRUIT

This cocktail couldn’t be easier: 3 parts grapefruit soda and 1 part tequila, served over ice cubes in a highball glass, garnished with a lime wedge. You can add an optional salt rim.

And you can make it by the pitcher-ful, which we’ll be doing tonight.

Paloma is the Spanish word for dove. In Mexico the soft drink of choice is Jarritos brand grapefruit soda (in the U.S., look for it at international markets or substitute Fresca.

You can purchase pink grapefruit soda from the premium mixer brand Q Drinks, or combine grapefruit juice with club soda or grapefruit-flavored club soda.

At better establishments, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice is combined with club soda. Use pink grapefruit juice and you’ll have a Pink Paloma (our term for it).

Even though the most popular tequila-based cocktail in Mexico, the history of the Paloma is murky. There are two leading contenders:

NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
 
 
RECIPE #4: AGUA FRESCA

In Spanish, agua fresca means fresh water.

In culinary terms, it refers to a variety of refreshing cold drinks that are sold by street vendors and at cafés throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries (photo #4). They’re also sold bottled at stores, and are easily whipped up at home.

Agua fresca is non-alcoholic and non-carbonated. The recipe can include a combination of fruits or veggies, flowers (like hibiscus), herbs and/or spices, cereals (barley, oats, rice), seeds (chia), even almond flour (which is used to make horchata, the next example).

A traditional agua fresca is an infused, sweetened water, flavored with fruits and/or vegetables—often a more complex layering of flavors than lemonade and limeade.

Our favorite combinations: watermelon (or any melon), basil cucumber and mint hibiscus. Here’s how to make them.

As you can see from this recipe template, it’s easy to mix your favorite flavors.
 
 
RECIPE #5: HORCHATA

Agua de horchata—horchata for short—is a very popular recipe, made from ground almonds and rice spiced with cinnamon (photo #5). Other flavors such as coconut can be added.

Here’s a recipe from Noshon.it.

It’s not conventional, but, you could add a shot of tequila or rum.

After all, it’s a day to celebrate!

[5] Horchata, made from ground almonds and cooked rice, may sound unusual—but it’s unusually good (photo © NoshOn, where you can subscribe to receive your recipes of choice).

[1] A classic English trifle (photo courtesy JoyCooks.Blogspot.com). [1] This modern trifle combines peanut butter pudding and pretzels. [3] A good-for-you substitute. Move over, Edible Arrangements (photos #2 and #3 courtesy Pampered Chef).

Trifles are one of the easiest desserts you can make—and impressive to present. Most of the ingredients are purchased ready-to-use, with only custard or other pudding requiring a few minutes of preparation.
 
WHAT’S A TRIFLE?

A trifle is a layered British dessert of fruit, sponge fingers or sponge cake soaked, custard, and a topping of whipped cream. Other ingredients can be added (gelatin/Jell-O, cookie crumbs) and the cake can be soaked in alcohol.
 
TRIFLE HISTORY

Trifle is an evolution of a fruit fool, a dessert that probably originated in 15th -century Britain. Puréed stewed fruit was swirled with sweet custard.

The classic was (and is) gooseberry fool, but seasonal fruits—apples, berries, rhubarb—were also used.

Other countries have their own versions that followed the British concept. In Italy, for example, zuppa inglese, a layering of liqueur-soaked sponge and custard, appeared in the late 19th century.

The first known reference to a trifle appears in 1585 in a cookbook, The Good Huswifes Jewell. It was flavored with sugar, ginger and rosewater (a recipe for the well-do-do, as sugar and spices were costly).

The trifle evolved to include a layer of crumbled biscuits (cookies) and alcohol-soaked sponge cake or sponge fingers (ladyfingers) as the bottom layer. Brandy, madeira, port and sherry were used to soak the sponge.

When powdered gelatin* became available in 1845, a layer of fruit “jelly” was added to recipes.

As was so common among the fashionable in Renaissance Britain, France, and other European countries, new foods engendered new styles of dishes and flatware. For trifles, a straight-sided pedestal glass bowl showed off the beauty of the layers.

Today, many people prefer bowls without the pedestal (easier to store), and modern ingredient layers that range from layers of chocolate cake, peanut butter pudding, pretzels and Oreos.

Glass bowls with or without a pedestal are used for other desserts and can also be repurposed. Anyone who owns a straight-sided glass bowl has already figured out how to use it for layered dips, layered salads (fruit, green, pasta) and as a fruit bowl.

It can serve as anything from a bread basket (nice with muffins at brunch) to a chip bowl.

Here are more ways to use a trifle bowl. Thanks to Pampered Chef for some of these ideas and photos.

 
What else?

We look forward to your suggestions!
 
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*Gelatin was first extracted by boiling animal bones, in 1682. But this laborious process was only undertaken in large kitchens with staff to prepare it. While gelatin is pure protein, it is colorless, flavorless and odorless, so it also needed to be enhanced for serving.

[4] Fall centerpiece. [5] Christmas centerpiece. [6] Punch bowl (all photos courtesy Pampered Chef).