A Feast of Fruits

A number of food writers have been jumping onto the fruit bandwagon with books about the benefits of more fruit in one's diet. Riely's book is a welcome addition to the genre. Because fruits need little sugar or fat to bring out flavor, the bulk of the recipes are fairly low-cal. Happily, Riely, a food consultant and writer whose work has appeared in Bon Appetit and Gourmet , hasn't been content to stick just with ``healthy'' dishes. Her book, which follows an abecedarium in outline, features some old standbys like peach melba and apple pie. There are also out-and-out caloric indulgences--rum raisin ice cream--and charmingly unusual foods, like ``Yorkshire Mousies.'' Readers can put together a soup-to-nuts dinner using her book. Chilled tomato-orange soup, followed by shrimp grilled with ginger, lime and coriander butter, and fresh blueberry tart with mascarpone, washed down with Nantucket fog cutters, is one potential menu. Each chapter is introduced with an authoritative discussion of that particular fruit's history and how to shop for and store it. The recipes are well-written and provide do-ahead tips when practical. Riely includes a chapter on more exotic fruits, such as the atemoya and tamarillo, with a brief description of each and suggestions on how it can be cooked. (July)