In which Lauren plans a party for three and ends up with eleven (if you count cats)

The day my Bon Appetit magazine comes in the mail each month is my birthday. I tear into it like Christmas morning, and I devour it in one sitting. I know I can get all the recipes online, but I derive such pleasure from that monthly gift in the mailbox, I could never cancel it.

So I had picked the recipe for Bombay Sliders out from the moment I had torn into the March issue. My biggest challenge with the magazine--other than the fact that every recipe seems to call for pounds and pounds of meat--is that there simply aren’t enough guaranteed tummies around to fill for me to make every recipe that looks fun. I don’t want to turn into the person at the office who ruins everyone’s diet, and I don’t want to eat all of it myself. Also, I am not Midas, though I do blow a disproportionate amount of my paycheck on food.

So this dinner was definitely an all-dishes-dirty marathon, but I also was able to pull it together in an afternoon without feeling rushed. Because the menu was planned, but the party wasn’t. Matthew and I had invited one person to hang out for the night, and that grew to two people, and then four, and by the end of the night, seven friends and two cats.

And for an accidental downtown rooftop party in late spring, this is a great menu. It’s light, easy to make in advance, and packs a delectable punch that’s between Indian takeout and All-American picnic. I served the burgers with three salads: one green, one grain and one fruit.

Bombay Sliders
adapted from Bon Appetit March 2007

So you’ll see a trend: I usually think that Bon Appetit recipes call for too much meat (at minimum, too much for my pocketbook!).
So as is almost always the case, I halved the ground turkey from the original recipe but did not halve the rest of the ingredients. One pound of meat made 8 mini burgers, just a few short of what the full load of meat promised. And oh. my. god. Do not skip these burgers. Skip the salad, buy premade rolls and mayo, but do what you have to do to eat these burgers. And don’t do like me: I put the sauce onto the burgers, instead of on the toppings. Thanks to this triumph of intellect, the toppings slid all over the place, but I don’t care: smear my face with this sauce and I’ll be a happy (golden) lady.

Sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced

Mix it up. Let warm to room temperature while burgers cook, but it’s mayo, so refridgerate if you’re making it ahead.

Burgers
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup mayonnaise
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoon Hungarian half-sharp paprika
1 teaspoon salt

8 small dinner rolls, cut horizontally in half, lightly toasted
Slices of cucumber, red onion and tomato, for toppings

Combine burger ingredients in a large bowl. I love this part, but if you hate it, use a fork for the love of god. Divide into 8 equal portions, and form them into 1/2 inch think mini-burger. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
Place patties on rolls, add toppings and then top with sauce.

Mango, Avocado and Arugula Salad with Peanut-Coconut Dressing
adapted from Bon Appetit May 2007

I have to agree with Deb: arugula is just about the best green ever. Forget portioning it out neatly on plates; I just tossed the whole $2.69 organic Trader Joe’s bag (I love it!) into the salad bowl. And I chunked the mangos and avocados instead of slicing, and added chunked cucumber also--whatever was left from the cuke that topped the burgers. Light coconut milk worked great in the dressing, and the spicy arugula teams so nicely with sweet fruit and creamy avocado. (The recipe would have made the post too long, and I barely changed it, so click the link to see.)

Curried Couscous
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

I halved the amount of grain in Ina’s recipe, at the time thinking there would only be three people for dinner. I threw this together on the fly without planning a grocery trip, so the recipe below represents what I actually had on hand and things I altered to match the rest of the flavors in the menu. With just half the amount of couscous, it still made plenty to feed everyone… if you don’t count the latecomers who have no idea it ever existed. This salad is perfect for a picnic: it’s gorgeous, vibrant yellow; tasty hot, cold or at room temperature; and safe to leave out of the fridge for a while (no eggs). Not bad for a salad that takes as long to make as couscous! I imagine a red curry powder would be yummy if you’re looking for a kick.

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried raisins
1/4 cup peanuts
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Melt butter in a pan, then add water. When boiling, add couscous, cover and turn of the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes while you chop and mix, then fluff with a fork. In a separate dish, mix the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, spices and seasonings. Add the couscous and the rest of the colorful, crunchy stuff.

Simple, Basic Fruit Salad
I prefer honey to sugar on fruit salad. That unique sweet tang just works for me on fruit. Just mix the stuff up, and of course you can use whatever you have lying around. Mint and mangoes gave this one a matchy-matchy feeling with the rest of the meal.

One banana, halved lengthwise and sliced
Two mangos, diced
One apple, diced
One pint strawberries, sliced
A glob or two of honey, to taste
A small handful of mint, chopped fine