Recipes for Life (36 page)

Like I’ve said, I don’t even kill spiders. Marco had explained to us during the show the necessity of having reverence for the food we were working with. I love that Native Americans blessed the animals that they killed, and I have always blessed my food before I eat it. Now I was faced with an enormous opportunity.

I knew the eel wasn’t going to be put back where they got it just be cause I refused to kill it. I saw a bigger picture. I saw my hypocrisy about eating meat: I wanted to think of it as mystery food wrapped in plastic at the market. I didn’t identify with it or take responsibility for what is required
for my eating any living thing. I made the choice to step up for the experience. I blessed the eel and thanked it with all my heart and prayed that I could do it swiftly, so it felt no pain. Everyone was shocked that I did it. But in that moment, I felt an enormous gift come to me: an appreciation and reverence for all that give of their life so that we can have life.

In spite of the number of cooking challenges they gave us during the day, and the growing number of people we served at the restaurant every night, I made up my mind never to let the pressure get to me—not even when Marco was yelling at me. I took it all in stride. I learned from doing
Legends
to take the pressure and turn it into excitement. And it was a blast!

At the end of the evening, I didn’t want to go to bed. I was so filled with energy from what we had done, how we had joined together to feed all these people. It was one of the most exhilarating times I’ve ever had. Then to top it all off, somehow, I managed to make it through the entire two weeks. Why the audience voted for me, I’m not sure, but I know I’m grateful beyond words that I won!

Me and Chef Marco Pierre White, my culinary hero.

Adrian Edmondson and I were in the final competition together. He’s a fabulous comedian, musician, devoted husband, and father, and I love him dearly. He was a big part of my joy every day. I wanted to include a recipe of his in this book. He is an amazing cook, and if I could have voted, it would have been for him. Unfortunately for me, Ade is an instinctive chef, making it hard to pin him down to a recipe with exact measurements. So I am going to share the recipe that I created for the final cooking challenge. Ade won the appetizer and I won the main course with what I lovingly now call Hell’s Salmon.

¼ cup clarified unsalted butter (see page 29)

6 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets, about ¾-inch thick

1 cup seasoned butter, at room temperature (see page 96)

Put the clarified butter into a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. After 2 minutes, when the butter is hot, add the salmon fillets. Let them sizzle, without moving them, for 2½ minutes, then flip the fillets carefully and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Place the salmon on a warmed serving plate.

Remove the pan from the heat. Wipe the pan with a paper towel to remove excess butter. In the still-warm pan, add a ¼ cup of the softened seasoned butter at a time, whisking constantly, until it forms a creamy sauce. If you need a bit more heat, hold the pan
briefly
over very low heat (only for a moment, then remove again), never letting the butter melt completely or the sauce will separate. (This sauce derives its
velvetlike smoothness from whisking in the butter so it blends into and thickens the sauce without melting outright.) Put the sauce in a gravy boat, and serve separately.

If you’re not a soy sauce lover, you can make this salmon and use Julia Child’s Hollandaise sauce (page 80) instead.

What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you become by reaching your destination.

—Zig Ziglar

L
IKE A GREAT
recipe, we are all unique, seasoned by our life over the years. I may be sixty-eight years old but in many ways I’m just getting started. There is something glorious about getting older as a woman. A freedom from so many of society’s agreements, that age helps you to let go of. There’s a peace that comes to us when we know what’s important and what isn’t.

I’m a part of an ever-growing group of beautiful people called the baby boomers. There are 70 million of us and we still have a lot to say and do. The wisdom that we accrue is the gift each of us carries with us. I’m waiting for our society to finally recognize this unseen quality for the treasure that it is in our lives. It’s the jewel in our crown, so to speak, when we live a long and aware life.

I’m thrilled that in writing this book, I’ve finally completed this part of my dream and I’m excited to see what I can cast into my future. I’m not the woman I used to be. I’m rich in experience and looking for new and wonderful adventures to add to this magical gift called life.

Today–looking forward to the future.