GOURMET'S MENUS FOR CONTEMPORARY LIVING

The seventh Gourmet cookbook is composed of menus and recipes taken from the magazine's ""Cuisine Courante"" feature. Like the previous books, this one contains the lavish photographs and impeccable style for which Gourmet is known. The emphasis here is on sophisticated, but less time-consuming food, aimed at those too busy to spend hours in the kitchen. The menus are for all sorts of occasions, from ""A Stylish Summer Grill"" to a ""Spring Brunch"" and""A Tree Trimming Party."" The recipes are for lighter fare, featuring soups and salads and even a section called ""Lenten Electives,"" with such meatless dishes as a Spinach and Feta Loaf, Lentil and Brown Rice Soup, and Meatless Moussaka. A German Picnic consists of Sauerkraut and Sausage Turnovers with Dilled Green Beans; a Chinese Salad Lunch offers Oriental Noodle and Chicken Salad; and a Busy Day Dinner is simple but elegant, with Parmesan Chicken Breasts, Saut‚ed Cherry Tomatoes, and Scallion Rice. Each menu is followed by wine recommendations, and throughout the book are suggestion boxes with general cooking tips, substitution ideas and the most efficient ways to prepare the more complicated menus. In sum: an appealing mixture of elegant and fun menus.