Cooking with Antoine at Le Perigord

Bouterin, head chef at one of Manhattan's fancier French restaurants since 1982, has produced a book that understands the realities of American home cooking almost too well. It would be ungrateful to complain; still, it's so surprising to find such an unfussy collection of French dishes that it's impossible not to feel a little disappointed. What Bouterin provides (with the assistance of food writer Crossman) are straightforward treatments of over 300 recipes from omelettes and poached sole to caviar and duck confit. There are the artful effectsmonkfish masquerading as a little leg of lamb, pate in aspic, napoleonsbut the simplicity of the cuisine is more striking. Soup sans stock, a fondness for roasting, poaching and steaming and the relative scarcity of sauces add up to a savvy but not-quite-inspiring rendition of haute French cooking for the calorie-conscious American bourgeoisie. Illustrations. BOMC/Cooking & Crafts Club alternate. (June 3)