WHAT?S cooking in the chefs? own kitchen?

Have you ever wondered, if chefs had the kitchen all to themselves, what they would rather be cooking? Or what they would most love to cook, whether for their own delectation or as a much-appreciated treat for family and friends?

SIM asked the country?s most sought-after chefs to share what really gives them much joy to prepare in the kitchen.

Roland Macatangay has made the rounds of the country?s top hotels. He just returned from a stint in Canada and is now the Executive Pastry Chef of Manila Hotel. At the recent Fonterra Pastry Challenge, he bagged top prize for the Hotel Chefs category, besting other participants with his Strawberry and Polenta Chocolate le Robusta.

?My favorite recipe is my Belgian chocolate truffle with coffee mud pie. I?m a chocoholic and this rich cake is an upper for me. It?s actually a marriage of two different recipes and the balance of taste is great; it?s very addictive. Every time I move to another hotel, I see to it that people get to taste this creation, and the response has always been overwhelming. It is really easy to make, requiring only basic knowledge in pastry arts. The secret of the recipe is in using the right ingredients.?

Gene Cordova, president and managing partner of the American Hospitality Academy of the Philippines, has 12 years of experience as a culinary educator tucked under his toque. Through his school, he shares all he has learned from studying in the top culinary institutions abroad, such as Le Cordon Bleu and Hotel Ritz Escoffier in Paris and the Culinary Insitute of America. His team strives to hone and develop Filipinos to become professional chefs through quality education and training in the field of hospitality.

?Favorite recipe? It?s always been Beef Bourguignon for me. My love for it has something to do with my admiration for the women who made me decide to pursue culinary studies?my lola, Julia Child and Madeleine Kamman. I like Beef Bourguignon because I love food and wine, and you cannot make a good Bourguignon without good wine. I find the dish similar to our adobo, since it is stewed? something you can cook in advance, store in the freezer, heat up, and it would actually taste better after days of maceration. It?s also a versatile dish because you can pair it with rice, pasta or simple roasted or baked potatoes.?

Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara pursued her passion for the culinary arts in France. She studied at the Le Cordon Bleu, worked in several restaurants in Paris, Corsica, and Nice and has given Manila a taste of what she can whip up in the kitchen. Several months ago, she decided to take her love for chocolates to another level and introduced her exquisite hand-made Paulene Chocolats Suisses.

?My favorite recipes change, depending on my mood and state of mind. For now, it?s my Foie Gras sandwich. If I were on death row, this is the dish I would pick for my last meal. For years I?ve had a simple Pan-Seared Foie Gras with Raspberry-Port Wine Reduction that I used to do at home. When I was on vacation in Switzerland last year, I saw a stall at the Montreaux Jazz Festival that was selling Foie Gras sandwich. On the first bite, I already knew how I was going to do my version when I got back home. I immediately turned my old recipe into a baguette sandwich. Since then, I?ve never met anyone who didn?t like it.?

Derek Dytian runs several kitchens in Cebu, including Creative Cuisine Catering, Big Mao Chinese Bistro, and Chika-An sa Cebu. The workaholic chef-entrepreneur received the ?Young Entrepreneur of the Year? award from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2006 and has been cited by Sun Star Cebu as one of the ?25 of Cebu?s Emerging Leaders.?

?Grilled cilantro marinated fish with beurre blanc is my favorite recipe. I like it because it adjusts to any occasion?it?s not too heavy and goes well with any wine. I discovered this dish during an emergency cooking situation, where I had to serve something impressive to some very special clients within one hour, so I had to work with what I had in the kitchen. It has been on our menu since we started 12 years ago, and still continues to be our best seller.?

J Gamboa, a familiar face and name in the industry, is the Executive Chef of Cirkulo and Milky Way Restaurants. He also manages Tsukiji and the go-to place for home-style Thai cooking, AzuThai. He sits as director of the local chefs? association, Les Toques Blanches Philippines. Among the projects he spearheads is the Culinary Scholarship Program, an effort to improve culinary education in the provinces.

?My favorite recipe is the Gambas al ajillo. We must make this about 30 times a day at the restaurant. Each time you have to be on your toes, making sure that the olive oil is hot but not smoking, otherwise you will burn the garlic. If the oil is not hot enough, the shrimp won?t saute but steam. Cook it too long, the shrimp will be tight, dry and hard. It is a perfect marriage of fresh shrimp, fruity Spanish olive oil, pungent garlic, spicy chili and the secret?smoky paprika from Spain. Señor Alba taught me this dish when we first opened Cirkulo in 1995; he shared all he knew of Spanish food and life.?

Raphael Ongchiong has travelled far, before landing his present job as head chef of Celsius Cuisine. He worked at Wynn Hotel and Resort in Macau and sailed many seas cooking aboard a cruise liner.

?Kinamatisang Manok (chicken cooked in tomatoes)! I love how you can really taste the essence of the chicken without having to add anything while cooking. The tomatoes and natural juices of the chicken bring out the flavors of this dish. It?s a real comfort food which helped us battle homesickness while working aboard a cruise ship. Away from the Philippines, my co-workers would always prepare Filipino dishes, and this chicken dish was among those they came up with and shared with me. So you could say that I learned how to cook native Filipino dishes in Italy!?