HAVE PAN, WILL TRAVEL : For some people, staying home is better than going out. That’s because they have cooks. These are a few of those cooks. Their stories and--their recipes--begin on H11. : CAROL COTNER : She Stirs Her Own Personality Into the Mix

“You know,” says Carol Cotner, “everyone’s always nice to the cook.”

Cotner learned this as a child, when she cooked meals for her two older brothers.

These days she cooks for other people’s families . . . as a private chef.

“It’s a bit awkward at first,” Cotner says. “You’re always a bit hesitant to go into a new kitchen. But I’m lucky: I’ve never experienced a plateful of food being sent back, and I’ve never had anyone complain.”

Cotner has been cooking in private homes off and on since she graduated from the California Culinary Academy several years ago. She also teaches cooking at the Epicurean School and she runs a catering business called Adventurous Cooks with partner Tera Guthrie. A cookbook on entertaining is in the works, too.

But Cotner spends most of her weekdays cooking in other people’s kitchens. “I have the ability to understand what people want and to then create something they’ll like,” she says. “I think that’s what makes me a good private chef.”

Currently, Cotner cooks for a well-known screenwriter/director and his wife. “They’re very open to new things,” she says. “They don’t, for instance, want a strict eating structure with only their favorite things. They want my creativity. I like that.

“The person I worked for before was big on entertaining. He always had a lot of celebrities come over so everything was more fussy. I’m a pretty simple eater myself, but I enjoy making more elaborate food for other people.”

Eventually, Cotner hopes to open a restaurant of her own. Not just any restaurant, though. Cotner wouldn’t be happy cooking in a huge restaurant with a big menu.

“In my dream restaurant,” she says, “I’d have a set menu which would change everyday, sort of like Chez Panisse. Everyone would eat the same thing--it’s much more personal that way.”

Clearly, Cotner is stuck on the one-on-one experience of cooking for a family.

“When I work on one meal,” Cotner explains, “much more of my personality shows. And I get to see the direct effect--how my food was received. That’s really quite fulfilling. Having a restaurant would just get more people in on it.”

Here is a sample dinner party menu from Carol Cotner. She advises making half the items beforehand. “You save time and prevent a lot of aggravation,” she says. Asparagus Flan with Lemon Dressing Grapefruit tarragon sorbet Field greens with warm chevre Sea Bass with Nicoise Olives Chocolate Mint Truffle Cake with Bourbon Creme Anglaise

ASPARAGUS FLAN WITH LEMON DRESSING

2 cups cut asparagus

3/4 cup half and half

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Salt, pepper

Lemon Dressing

1 tomato, peeled and diced

Steam asparagus until bright green. Puree in blender, adding half and half. Add eggs, one at time, blending well after each addition. Add lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into 4 (6-ounce) or 6 (4-ounce) buttered souffle molds. Bake in bain marie at 375 degrees 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature (or serve hot as a side vegetable). Invert on serving dish and spoon Lemon Dressing over. Surround with diced tomato. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Lemon Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon chopped dill

1/2 teaspoon sugar

6 tablespoons olive oil

Combine lemon juice, dill and sugar in small bowl. Slowly stir in olive oil until emulsified. Makes about 10 tablespoons.

SEA BASS WITH NICOISE OLIVES

4 (6-ounce) fillets sea bass

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped pitted Nicoise olives

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon soft bread crumbs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper

1/2 cup diced sweet yellow pepper

1/2 cup capers

1/2 cup white wine

Sprinkle sea bass with salt and pepper to taste. Combine olives, parsley, bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread 1/4 of mixture on each fillet, covering entire surface. Bake on oiled baking sheet at 400 degrees 15 minutes.

Saute red and yellow peppers and capers in 1/2 cup olive oil 3 minutes. Add white wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Serve around fish. Makes 4 servings.

This dessert is a cross between ganache and chocolate truffles. Do not overbeat the whites; if too stiff the cake will crack, and will be too dense.

CHOCOLATE MINT TRUFFLE CAKE WITH BOURBON CREME ANGLAISE

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut up

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1/8 teaspoon mint extract

6 egg whites

Powdered sugar

Bourbon Creme Anglaise

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler over low heat until chocolate melts in small bowl. Whisk together sugar, egg yolks and mint extract until light lemon color. Add to chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth.

Whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Pour mixture into buttered 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 400 degrees 25 minutes. Cool completely then remove from pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

To serve, place small amount of Bourbon Creme Anglaise on dessert plates. Slice cake in 8 wedges and place each slice on top of sauce. Garnish with mint sprigs if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Bourbon Creme Anglaise

2 cups half and half

1 vanilla bean, split

4 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup Bourbon whiskey

Scald half and half with split vanilla bean in small saucepan. Combine egg yolks and sugar in top saucepan of double boiler. Whisk until light in color. Slowly add half and half to egg mixture. Place top pan over simmering water in double boiler and cook until mixture is slight, thick sauce. Stir in whiskey. Cool and serve over cake. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.