Steam Cuisine

Simple and quick to prepare, nutritious and low in calories, the steamed dishes offered here employ two basic preparation methods. Large, chunked vegetables, thick fish fillets and whole chickens are placed directly on the steamer rack over boiling water; delicate fillets, smaller vegetables and sauces are arranged in a heat-proof platter that, in turn, is set on the steaming rack. Annechild's (Wok Your Way Skinny, etc.t 175 tempting recipes are innovative and versatile: spicy salsa eggs, almond-Roquefort crepes, fennel-ginger chicken salad, shrimp buns, potato soup, Italian macaroni casserole, tofu and broccoli in peanut sauce, flaked salmon puffs, honey-pecan sweet potatoes, pumpkin bread, eggplant Parmesan, cinnamon-nutmeg pears in custard and lemon cake. Unfortunately, the scant text doesn't adequately promote the riskier tastes and flavors like steamed grapefruit or hot stuffed avocados. Illustrations not seen by PW. (June 23)