Chaine des Rotisseurs' halloween

CEBU, Philippines – Three Christian religious holidays are observed and celebrated in the Philippines - Holy Week, Christmas, and the "Undas" (All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day).  The "Undas," or "Kalagkalag" in the Visayas and Mindanao, is the commemoration of the feast of all the Christian saints and the day of prayers for the dead to assist those souls in Purgatory and for honoring our departed brethren.

Cemeteries come to life with the graves, tombstones and burial plots decorated with lights and flowers, not only to pay homage to deceased relatives but for family reunions as well. Many families camp out overnight to bond, to relish the memories of their dear departed and catch up with one another. The gathering is often illuminated by a sea of candles and supplied with food and drinks.

Lately, communities have adopted the observance of Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, a Western tradition for remembering the dead. The observance revolves around the theme of using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of death." Typical Halloween activities include wearing of costumes of supernatural figures like zombies, aliens, vampires and other monsters, the trick-or-treating and guising, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, watching horror films and holding Halloween parties.

The Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, a gourmet club with an international membership, celebrated Halloween with a fellowship dinner at the Pino Restaurant in Lahug.  Members were encouraged to wear masks to complement the transformation of the restaurant into a haunted mansion. Members were playing jokes on one another - that some of gentlemen members, excuse me, no longer had to wear masks because they already resembled Count Dracula or that some lady members actually looked like real-life cha- racters from the "Witches of Eastwick" movie.

Cocktails were served with appetizers from the Seafood on Ice Station, Oysters & Prawns with shallot's vinegar and cocktail sauce, and Canapés of Baked Scallops. The accompanying wines were J.P. Chenet Colombara-Sauvignon, Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Chateau La Rose Brisson Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2006.

Dinner was buffet style with five food stations. There was a Bread station offering three types of cheeses, Brie La Fontaine, Gouda and Manchego - aside from the breads of course. At the Pasta Station, Penne and Angel Hair were served with Carbonara and Bolognese sauces.

The Hot Dishes Station featured Chicken Barbecue, Potato au Gratin, Broccoli, Asparagus & Haricot Beans rolled in Bacon, Scallops au Gratin and my personal favourite, the Chilean Sea Bass in Beurrre Blanc & Black Truffle Oil, made very tasty by the butter sauce made with reduction of vinegar, white wine and shallots and the addition of a rather expensive mushroom extract, black truffle oil.

There was a long queue for a taste of roast at the Carving Station where the huge U.S. Prime Rib sat with a choice of three sauces: Peppercorn, Béarnaise and Red Wine Reduction. As usual, I waited until the middle portion was served because that is the pièce de résistance of the meat since the outer layers are subjected to higher cooking temperatures compared to the middle portion.

Desserts were typical Pino Restaurant sweets, the Maja Blanca, Brazo de Mercedes and the Leche Flan. Pino Restaurant's CEO Joel del Prado always goes the extra mile for the successful hosting of the gourmet society.