every host or hostess -- especially in summertime.

To make such dreams come true, you need look no further than the shelves of the Bermuda Library, where the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins is filled with wonderful fare.

Whether it's a party, buffet, or quiet family gathering, you'll enjoy preparing and eating any one of its 450 gourmet recipes, designed for every occasion and course.

Here's a sampling: CHICKEN SALAD WITH PALE GREEN FRUIT 3 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 3 whole) 1 cup heavy or whipping cream 2 cups honeydew melon balls 2 cups cucumber balls with skin (avoid the seeds) 2 cups green seedless grapes 1 cup blanched sliced almonds 11 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. salt Grated zest of 1 lemon 1 cup chopped fresh dill 1 cup Lemon Mayonnaise (recipe follows) PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a large baking pan. Spread evenly with cream and bake until done to your taste -- 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in the cream. Remove chicken and save accumulated juices to enrich soups or sauces.

Shred chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add melon and cucumber balls, grapes, and almonds. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with pepper, salt, lemon zest, and all but 2 tbsp. of the dill. Toss again until thoroughly mixed. Fold in mayonnaise. Spoon onto a serving platter and garnish with the remaining dill. Yield: 6 to 8 portions.

LEMON MAYONNAISE 2 eggs 2 tbsp. tarragon vinegar 21 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard 11 cups mild olive oil 1 cup corn oil 1 bunch fresh tarragon, leaves chopped, OR 2 Tsp. dried tarragon 1 tsp. coarse (kosher) salt Pinch ground white pepper Grated zest of 1 large lemon PLACE eggs, vinegar, lemon juice, and mustard in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process 15 seconds.

Remove the feed tube, and with the machine running, add the oils in a thin, steady stream. Remove to a bowl. Gently fold in tarragon, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Yield: 3 cups.

DUCK CURRY Perfect for picnics -- nice and moist with a great yellow glow. Accompany with peanuts, raisins, chopped scallions, and coconut served in little bowls.

2 ducks (4 to 5 lbs. each), cut into 6 pieces each 2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped 6 ribs celery, coarsely chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 Granny Smith apples, coarsely chopped 3 tbsp. mild curry powder 2 tbsp. hot curry powder 1 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. ground cardamom 1 tsp. fennel seeds Pinch cayenne pepper 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup mango chutney 3 cup grated coconut 3 cup heavy or whipping cream 1 cup chopped dried figs 1 cup toasted cashew nuts 1 cup minced crystallised ginger PLACE duck pieces, skin side down, on a cutting board. Carefully trim excess fat to edge of skin. Reserve fat to make cracklings, if you wish.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brown duck in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Remove and discard all but 1 cup of the fat from the skillet. Place duck in skillet and roast, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Remove duck and set aside. Add onions, celery and garlic to the pan and saute over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add apples, stir in the curry powders, ginger, cardamom, fennel, and cayenne. Cook 2 minutes.

Stir in flour, cook 2 minutes more. Gradually stir in stock and cook, stirring constantly, until blended. Stir in chutney and coconut.

Combine duck and sauce in a large casserole or Dutch oven. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 11 hours. Remove duck from sauce. Stir cream into sauce and puree in a blender. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Return duck and sauce to the casserole. Stir in figs, cashews, and crystallised ginger. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes. Serve immediately with hot cooked rice, curry accompaniments, and duck cracklings, if you made them.

Yield: 8 portions.

LAYERED CHEF'S SALAD WITH TUNA MAYONNAISE DRESSING Chef's salad is so often the expected, but not this one. It must be made 6 to 24 hours before serving, and should be arranged in a large glass bowl with straight sides to show off all the layers.

3 cups mixed torn greens (romaine, red leaf lettuce, radicchio, and arugula) 4 scallions (green onions, white part and 2 inches green), sliced 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and sliced 4 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and chopped 1 cup fresh basil leaves 12 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup alfalfa sprouts 1 medium-size red onion, sliced 1 cup Nicoise olives, pitted 4 ounces hard salami, cut into julienne 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled Salt, to taste 8 oz. smoked turkey breast, cut into julienne 1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into rings 1 cup torn arugula leaves 1 jar (6 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced 5 oz. prosciutto, cut into julienne 1 lb. asparagus spears or broccoli florets, blanched Tuna Mayonnaise (recipe follows) TOSS greens with 2 of the sliced scallions in a large glass bowl. Top with fresh tomatoes, then with sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle half the basil over the tomatoes.

Thinly slice 1 lb. of the mozzarella and arrange on the basil layer. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Grate remaining 4 ounces mozzarella and set aside.

Top sliced cheese with separate layers of alfalfa sprouts, onion, half the olives, and all the salami.

Process eggs, remaining 2 scallions, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor fitted with a steel blade just until the eggs are chopped. Spoon on top of the salami layer.

Place turkey julienne over the eggs. Add red pepper and scatter with the 1 cup arugula. Layer artichoke hearts on top of the arugula and cover with the prosciutto julienne.

Top with remaining basil leaves, sprinkle with more pepper, add reserved grated mozzarella. Make a final layer of the asparagus, arranged in a spoke pattern, or the broccoli florets.

Make the tuna mayonnaise,and spread a thick layer on top of the salad. Garnish with remaining olives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours.

Use 2 large salad spoons to get down through all the layers to serve the salad. Yield: 6 portions.

TUNA MAYONNAISE 4 egg yolks 3 anchovy fillets, chopped 1 tbsp. capers, drained 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 cup olive oil 1 cup vegetable oil Salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 can ( 6 1 ) oz.) tuna (packed in oil) 1 cups our cream PROCESS egg yolks, anchovies, capers, lemon juice, mustard, and parsley in a food processor fitted with a steel blade for 15 seconds. With the machine running, pour the oils in a thin steady stream through the feed tube to make a thick mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Flake tuna, add with its oil to the mayonnaise. Process until thoroughly blended. Scrape into a small bowl, fold in sour cream, taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Yield: about 3 cups.

CHEVRE-STUFFED LAMB BURGERS WITH RASPBERRY MINT SAUCE 2 lbs. ground lean lamb Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 8 oz. soft mild chevre Raspberry-Mint Sauce (recipe follows) SEASON ground lamb to taste with salt and pepper. Divide meat into 8 equal parts. Shape about 1 ounce of the chevre into a round nugget and mould one part of the lamb around the chevre, enclosing it completely; then shape it into a thick patty. Repeat with remaining lamb and chevre.

Make the mint sauce.

Broil or grill lamb burgers to desired doneness. Serve each burger with a few tablespoons of the mint sauce spooned over it. Yield: 8 portions.

RASPBERRY-MINT SAUCE 11 cups fresh mint leaves 1 cup white wine vinegar 2 tbsp. raspberry vinegar 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 3 to 4 tbsp. superfine sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste TEAR mint leaves into coarse pieces and place in a shallow bowl. Add vinegars and lemon juice. Stir in 3 to 4 tbsp. sugar, depending on how sweet you want the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

RASPBERRY TARTS WITH PINE NUT CREAM FILLING Pastry: 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 10 tbsp. (11 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces 1 tbsp. water 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice Filling: 3 cup pine nuts (pignoli) 1 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. kirsch Topping: 3 cup apricot jam 1 cup water 3 cups fresh raspberries To make pastry: Process flour, sugar and butter in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and lemon juice. Using repeated pulses, process just until the dough starts to gather into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Roll out dough 1 -inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Line eight 4 1 -inch tart pans with the dough. Trim and crimp edges. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line tart shells with parchment paper and weight with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet just until edges begin to brown -- about 15 minutes. Remove beans and paper, let cool.

To make filling: Process pine nuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until very finely chopped. Add butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and kirsch and process 1 minute. Spoon filling into tart shells almost to the tops. Bake until filling is puffed and brown and shells are golden -- 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature, then remove tarts from pans.

To make topping: Heat apricot jam and water in a small saucepan until melted and smooth. Dip each raspberry into the glaze to coat it, and arrange the raspberries over the tarts to cover completely. Serve within several hours.

Yield: Eight 4 1 -inch tarts.