Generally speaking, the boules parties that take place in eight venues Sunday afternoons in the summer are foodie delights.  Each year Gloria Pepin, chairwoman emeritus, and our president, Christine Hopkins (who will, we hope, stay as president forever, since the job is a pain) tweak our very loose rules.  It once began at 3 p.m. and is now at 2 p.m.  As we get a bit older, we think about going home a little earlier, although some of us decide to stay over rather than drive home.

This past year, the ladies decided that we should make the food prep easier.  It is a bit difficult for those of us who are not real chefs to compete with the rock stars so this year, each host and their co-hosts could choose from buffet, bistro or sit-down dinner.

All but one of us chose from the two former.  But Lori and Michel Nischan obviously lost the memo.  The wildly energetic couple, who runs the Dressing Room in Westport (and he founded the non-profit Wholesome Wave, which tries to get good, healthy, organic food to everyone in America) created for us a luscious boules party on the second to last boules party of 2013.

We chose from three different meats with four different sauces, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in a delicious vinaigrette, haricots vert with peaches and terrific toasted bread (the last of which also served as bruschetta to lots of vegetables from their own garden.  There were also mussels, mussels, mussels, which I adore.

As for dessert, there were three pastry chefs at the party, Jacques Torres, his wife, Hasty, and Wendy Laurent who is pastry chef at l’Escale in Greenwich.  The desserts included a raspberry tart, a linzer torte, gigantic chocolate chip cookies, more cookies and two kinds of chocolate truffles.  And to begin and end the party, there was an ice cream.  Before we played, there was an ice cream truck that served lots of my childhood favorites, like the Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake and Toasted Coconut.  After dinner, along with dessert, came Jacques Torres’ housemade ice cream.

By the time you read this, the boules finals will be over.  I and  my teammates will have spent time talking to our friends, since our team was third of three teams.  There is always next year.

The team that beat us was captained by Norma Galehouse.  She beat us two out of two.  Norma is Jacques Pepin’s assistant.  Jacques’ wife Gloria was on my team.  She threatened to fire Norma for winning.

Another member of Norma’s Team,  Marla Kosenski, a high school teacher of French in Old Saybrook, made a salad that may be  my favorite salad ever.  She is gluten-intolerant, and I must admit that I loved this salad so much that, for me, this could be an entrée any night of the week.  She found the recipe in the Vegetarian Times a few years ago and has loved it every time she makes it.

Quinoa salad with pistacchios, parsley and mint.

Yield: serves 4

One-half cup shelled pistachios

1 cup quinoa

One-half teaspoon salt, plus for to taste

One-quarter cup finely chopped parsley (preferably Italian parsley, not curly)

One-quarter cup olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Toast pistachios in a small skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until fragrant and golden brown. Transfer to cutting board, cool slightly, then chop and set aside.

Toast quinoa in heavy saucepan over medium heat 3 minutes, or until light brown and beginning to pop.  Stir in salt and 2 cups water. Cover and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool.

Add parsley, oil, lemon juice, mint and toasted pistachios to cooled quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 20 minutes for flavors to develop. Adjust seasonings, adding a little more lemon juice, if necessary. Serve on bed of leaf lettuce, if desired.

Who can resist a tasty burger on the fabulous Fourth?

I am working on the assumption that you will be firing up the grill tomorrow, July 4, for a gorgeous, dry and warm Fourth of July party at your house.  And that you will be serving hamburgers.

If your Fourth is like mine, things have changed since the days when I was a child.  In truth, my parents did not have a grill.  My aunt and uncle did have a grill.  They kept kosher at their home and one Fourth party they didn’t realize that the kosher hot dogs were covered with plastic.  Those hot dogs didn’t make it to the plates.  Later on, as a young mother and wife, we grilled burgers and hot dogs.  I’m not sure we had a lot of sides and, since I didn’t really learn to cook until I was in my late twenties, I probably bought potato and macaroni salad.

Once grilling became so popular, we grilled lots of things, from fish and chicken to stone fruit and pineapples, which we served with homemade ice cream.  Today, some people are nervous about rare burgers and nitrite-filled hotdogs.  Worse still, some of my friends are vegetarians and some of their children are, too.  One or two are vegans.  So this column is about two things—a perfect hamburger and a luscious grilled eggplant.  For me, I’ll be serving both at my next barbecue.

How to Cook a Great Burger

Yield: 4 hamburgers

1 one-half pounds excellent ground chuck *

Sea salt or kosher salt to taste

6 toasted rolls (preferably fresh hard rolls)

1. Turn grill to hot and close the lid.  If you are using a charcoal grill, add charcoal, light them with a chimney stuffed with newspapers and light the charcoal.  Charcoal should be gray before you begin the burgers.

2. Cut the ground chuck into six pieces and lightly turn the pieces into balls.  Again, lightly, pat them into patties.

3. When grills are hot, open lids and place burgers onto the grill.  Do not use a spatula to push down on the burgers and do not flip them until you can turn them without losing half the patties on the grill.  Flip the burgers only once.  Sprinkle with the flipped burgers, to taste.  (If you are adding cheese, add after you have flipped the burgers.)  If you like your burgers rare or medium rare, this whole operation will take no more than four minutes on the first side, maybe one on the second.)

4. Place hamburgers on toasted rolls and serve immediately. (This is a time when you don’t want to let the meat rest.  I love my burgers when the juice makes the bottom of the roll a bit wet.)

Coal-Roasted Eggplants

From “Into the Fire” by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hersheimer (Bon Appetit, July 2013)

Yield: 4 servings

Prepare a hardwood-charcoal fire in a grill.  Let coals cool to medium heat (coals should be covered with ash and glowing red with no black remaining).

Place two small eggplants (about 1 pound total) directly on coals and cook, turning occasionally, until skins are blackened and flesh has collapsed, 10 to 15 minutes.  (Alternatively grill on the grate of a gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.)  Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool slightly.

Carefully remove skins from eggplants, leaving stem intact.  Place eggplants on a wire rack set inside the same rimmed baking sheet and let stand 30 minutes to allow excess water to drain.  Just before servings split lengthwise and serve with the best extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt for a simple side.  Or, since space is at a premium, buy a copy of the new Bon Appetit and make one of three sauces: Yogurt and Sumac Sauce, Smoky Tomato Sauce or Lime-Mint Sauce (or, for that matter, a good marinara sauce).