September 20th is National Rum Punch Day. While the word “punch” conjures up a large bowl of drink, the word actually derives from the number five in Sanskrit and Hindi.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PUNCH

Punch is a general term for a broad assortment of mixed drinks, made with or without alcohol. The word “punch” derives from the Hindi word, panch, from the Sanskrit is panchan, five.

In India, panch was made from five different ingredients: sugar, lemon, water, tea or spices and an alcoholic spirit; hence the name.

The drink was served hot. (Although India is a very warm country, hot drinks are common, exemplified by the popular spiced tea, chai.)

Punch was “discovered” in India by the British sailors of the East India Company. The concept was brought to England in the early 17th century. Records from 1690 show hot punch being served in London’s punch houses*.

From there it spread to other countries. In northern Europe, hot spiced alcoholic drinks were popular in cold months.

It should be noted that the British sailors who brought punch home drank it at whatever temperature was available aboard ship.

Until the 17th century, ice was a luxury enjoyed by those who could afford to have ice cut in the winter and stored in ice houses.

By the 1720s, the record shows that cold punch bowls were a popular refreshment at the summer parties of the affluent [source: Claude.ai 2024-12-02].

By the late 1700s and early 1800s, both hot and cold punches were served, depending on the occasion. Check out the history of ice for iced drinks.

While Western punch recipes generally contain fruit or fruit juice, fruit isn’t essential. Nor is an elegant punch bowl required: a pitcher is fine, and in many cases, it’s more practical.

You can also make just one punch drink at a time. Here are two recipes for individual punch drinks—rum punch, of course, to celebrate National Rum Punch Day.

For serving in tall glasses, get some fun straws.

It’s hard to resist 144 cocktail umbrellas for $4.79, but we resisted.

The History Of Rum 
 
 
RECIPE #1: BACARDI RUM PUNCH

This classic rum punch uses two different types of rum: white and dark. If you don’t have both, use what you have.

Because this recipe is in “parts,” you can make anything from a single glass to a party portion, without any calculations.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all liquid ingredients iIn a large container. Refrigerate until chilled and enjoy. If making a large batch, just before serving…

2. POUR into a large punch bowl, stirring in ice. Garnish the bowl with floating lemon slices. Serve each glass with a lemon wheel.

 
RECIPE #2: COCONUT RUM PUNCH

This recipe, from Inspired By Charm, uses coconut rum and dark rum. No dark rum? Try it with all coconut rum.

[2] Get out your Mason jars (photo © The Blond Cook).

[3] Tall drinks deserve a fun straw (photo courtesy © Balloon Red Toy Store).

 
Preparation

1. POUR into a glass the pineapple juice, orange juice, 1 ounce dark rum and 1 ounce coconut rum. Gently stir.

2. SLOWLY POUR in a splash of grenadine. The grenadine will sink to the bottom to create the “sunset” coloration.

3. ADD 1/2 ounce of dark rum to the top. Garnish with a slice of lime and serve.
 
 
10 PUNCH MAKING TIPS
 
 
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*Punch houses were 17th- and 18th-century drinking establishments that specialized in serving punch made from a mix of spirits (often rum or brandy), citrus juice, sugar, water, and spices. Like ale houses and coffee houses, they were social hubs where people from various classes gathered to drink, converse, and conduct business. Punch houses were lively, informal, and sometimes rowdy, catering to sailors, merchants, and middle-class Londoners. The punch was served from large communal bowls. By the 19th century, gin and beer had become more popular. Punch drinking declined, leading to the disappearance of dedicated punch houses.
 
 

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[1] Make these tortillas in 10 minutes or less. [2] Artisan white corn tortillas from Tortillas de la Tierra (both photos courtesy Good Eggs).

Guests drop by for a beer or glass of wine?

Finicky kids?

[Fill in] your own challenge?

There’s a quick, crowd-pleasing solution: chorizo tacos.

The folks at Good Eggs, who sent us this recipe, rejoice that “the ease and flavor of these simple chorizo numbers knocked our socks off.

“Give it a try and you’ll be wondering if it can be Taco Tuesday every day.”

It can be used at lunch and brunch, too.

RECIPE: QUICK CHORIZO TORTILLAS

Ingredients For 4 Tacos

 
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*Avocado/guacamole, beans, crumbled/shredded cheese, plain or pickled jalapeños, radish, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes (chopped), etc.
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For A Side Of Salad

1. REMOVE the casing from the sausages. Place the chorizo in a cast-iron pan and sauté over medium-high heat until fully cooked, 7-10 minutes.

2. WARM the tortillas on both sides, directly over the flame on your stove. Keep the tortillas warm in a dish towel as you continue to heat the stack. Alternatively, wrap the stack in a slightly damp dish towel and microwave until warm.

3. PLACE a scoop of chorizo on each tortilla, along with some cilantro and green onions. If serving any optional ingredients, place them on the table and let people dress their own.

4. DRESS the salad: Toss the greens with olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Some brands of tortillas with preservatives have a long shelf life in the fridge. Others don’t.

To freeze tortillas, stack them with parchment or wax paper separating each tortilla, and place in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out. Then you can remove them one by one, as you need them, without tearing.

If you typically use two or four tortillas at a time, place the parchment at that interval.

The tortillas will keep for six to eight months beyond their “best by” date.

Parchment separation is also advisable to hedge against tearing if you’re keeping tortillas in the fridge.
 
HOW TO THAW & WARM FROZEN TORTILLAS

Quick Thawing Techniques

 
Slow Thawing

 
NOTE: The towel or foil you wrap the tortillas in continues to keep them warm after they leave the heat source. Bring the tortillas to the table in the wrap.
 
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE QUICK HOT MEALS?

Let us know!

[3] To freeze, stack the tortillas in a freezer bag with parchment paper (photo courtesy Americas Test Kitchen Feed). [4] Heat frozen or fresh tortillas over the burner (photo courtesy Wonder How To). [5] Look for artisan tortillas: so delicious, they’re worth the higher price (photo courtesy Hot Bread Kitchen).

[1] Classic gujeolpan in a nine-sectioned octagonal plate (photo Jamie Frater | Wikipedia). [2] A beautiful non-traditional presentation at Siwhadam restaurant in Seoul. [3] Ingredients in the pancake (photo courtesy TheBeauti4.Blogspot.com).

The what?

In Korea, gujeolpan (gu-JOLP-an) is the name of a sectioned serving plate that holds nine different foods: eight delicacies and a stack of crêpe-like wheat pancakes (jeon)in the center, used as wraps. The shape that purportedly resembles a flower.

Gu is Korean for nine, jeol is selection and pan is the plate. The idea is to present foods that represent different foods artistically: different textures and colors. Foods are separated by color and ingredients, and comprise various preparations of mushrooms, seasoned vegetables (bean sprouts, carrots, leeks, radishes, etc.).

Today, it’s a special-occasion dish, served at banquets and weddings, and available at restaurants that specialize in it.
 
HISTORY OF GUJEOLPAN

An elaborate presentation, gujeolpan is one of the most beautiful centerpiece Korean dishes, colorful and aesthetically appealing. It was once available only to nobility. Today you can have it at Korean restaurants that specialize in ancient foods (and where it can be quite pricey), or make a version of it at home with modern recipes.

The octagonal plate of yore is still used to present them; although these days any shape of platter or unsectioned dish can be used. The traditional ebony covered box can be replaced with a plastic version. There are also sectioned metal boxes, and ceramic or glass plates with depressions for the food.

Gujeolpan dates back at least to the 14th century, and has become closely associated with the Joseon kingdom that lasted from 1392 to 1897 (when the country was officially renamed the Korean Empire).

The plate can be quite elaborate, with a carvings, gold or brass embellishments and (for the very wealthy) gem encrustations.

But you can create your own, and have fun with it as an appetizer, first course or light dinner.

Might we add: It’s also a better-for-you, lower-calorie dish of fun?
 
HOW TO EAT GUJEOLPAN

As with Peking duck and other pancake-based Asian dishes, each person takes a pancake and fills it with the ingredients of choice. The ingredients are drizzled with sauce or other condiment, then rolled and eaten.

HOW TO MAKE GUJEOLPAN

If you have an Asian market, head there first to see what’s available. Otherwise, your produce store or supermarket will be a source of inspiration.

But you can use anything you like. It’s very easy to pickle vegetables, for example; and you need only one meat and one fish.

Create a balance of colors: brown, green, red, white, yellow. Consider:

 
Non-Traditional Items

 
Plus

[4] A modern gujeolpan plate in metal with removable sections (photo courtesy Korea.net). [5] This plate has less than nine sections, but it works (photo courtesy Jungsik | Seoul). Or, repurpose a Passover plate. [6] You can use any plate (photo courtesy MarooDining.com.au).

You can use a substitute for the pancakes (see next section).

The biggest challenge is knife skills: slicing the ingredients thinly. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to practice your knife skills.

Don’t forget the chopsticks!
 
MAKING THE PANCAKES

Here’s a recipe for traditional gujeolpan pancakes.

You can also substitute:

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.