James McNair's Cold Cuisine

Those who have mastered the essentials of cooking, welcome challenges and relish so-called ``upscale cuisine'' will revel in this lavishly illustrated volume by the author of Cold Pasta. Every recipe is accompanied by a provocative color photograph, as useful as it is decorative: each shot is a clear and reproducible example of one way to enhance the presentation of a particular dish. Since the 30 creations are meant to be rendered in advance and chilled, their very nature invites artistic indulgence. Some items require involved preparation, but instructions are adequate for the experienced. Vegetable dishes include a layered terrine and golden gazpacho (with yellow tomatoes and peppers). Lobsters with vanilla mayonnaise, Venetian-style marinated fried-fish fillets, and scallop and salmon mousses number among the seafood items. Poultry and meat dishes include chicken in mango mayonnaise, duck galantine, rabbit-and-prune compote and Thai-style beef salad. Mocha torte with raspberry sauce and frozen avocado-lime pie are featured as sweets. (June)