Sumptuous Sauces in the Microwave

Is a microwave demi-glace superior to the traditional version expertly prepared? No, but these lucid recipes allow even a reticent or harried cook to embellish simple meals with an enticing selection of flavorful, colorful sauces--and to do so consistently well. The collection includes stocks and basic sauces as well as variations, streamlined modern classics: mustard veloute, basil cream sauce, white wine and mushroom sauce, and a hollandaise prepared in three minutes. Also offered are accompaniments for pasta--Mediterranean olive, lemon-pecan and creamy red pepper puree. Both sweet sesame vinaigrette and wild mushroom salad dressing are supplied. Condiments lemon-orange cranberry sauce, mango chutney and hot salsa will spruce up leftovers. An appendix helpfully lists sauces compatible with assorted types of food. More than 20 pairings are suggested for ``light-flavored'' fish, for example. Throughout are tips for low-calorie variations, remedies for a curdled batch, etc. Tennison, a food writer for the Chicago Tribune, wrote Glorious Vegetables in the Microwave. (July)