In the Kitchen with Rosie

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 18 APR. 1994

This is a celebrity cookbook with a heart-healthy edge. Brief anecdotes by Oprah and recipe prefaces by Daley, her cook, may lure Oprah watchers--not only have they seen her weight loss, now they can taste the foods that presumably helped to make it possible. Others will find her style obvious: ``I have thrived on pasta,'' Oprah confides. ``I can eat it every day.'' Exclamation points abound: ``Forget iceberg!'' she exhorts in the introduction to salad recipes.``Experiment! . . . Delicious!'' Fortunately, Daley is a professional chef, trained at the Cal-A-Vie Spa, and her recipes are no mere fluff. Practical advice on preparations that add flavor while reducing fat reflect her spa experience, while suggestions for garnishes add visual interest. The numerous tips stretch the length of the book, too: just 50 recipes are featured in 134 pages. Typical of Daley's approach is the following paean to paella: ``In this beautiful dish jet-black mussels, pale gray clams, and vibrant red lobster tails lie on a bed of golden saffron rice, surrounded by chopped tomato and green peas, its flavor enhanced by the addition of squid rings and an assortment of peppers.'' Photos not seen by PW. 400,000 first printing; advertising.