Recipes 1-2-3 Menu Cookbook

Following up on her 1996 James Beard Award-winning Recipes 1-2-3, Gold assembles new flavor-focused recipes into complementary menus. There's no arguing with the principle that a few fresh ingredients, attentively combined, yield a clean, often surprising taste. In Gold's handling, this idea is exponentially enhanced: among the morning menus is the delicately balanced Poached Eggs with Lime Hollandaise; Smoked Salmon Quesadillas, and Fresh Strawberries, Gingered Yogurt. Midday offerings include Lemony Tuna Salad with Tuna Tahina Dressing, Sweet Pepper Green Beans, with black olives, and Fruit Salad Vino Cotta (grapefruit sections and strawberries in reduced white grape juice). A sample dinner embraces Jumbo Lump Crab, Avocado Sauce; Chicken Paillards, Adobo Style; Smoky Pink Beans and Rice, and Coconut Ice Cream with Blue Cura ao. Noting that these menus often break with tradition--scanting starches, eschewing breads--Gold encourages cooks to mix and match, practicing their own ingenuity. Many of the recipes rely on reductions of fruit juices or wine; cream and cheeses contribute depth to others. Eggs appear often and desserts make ample use of fruits. Some readers may object to precious menu titles (A Poem for the Table; Med-Rim Mosaic), but aside from that minor cavil, Gold's latest collection offers beautifully constructed, economically prepared recipes and menus. (Oct.)