Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 90- Taste it, now Make it

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

"I'm sure you all know how this works, but I'll explain in case anyone has forgotten." Gordon's eyes peruse over his black jacket chefs. "In the taste it now make it challenge, you will be given a plate of something I've cooked and you will need to use all of your senses to re-create the dish exactly how I've prepared it."

Sous Chef Christina emerges from the curtain at the side of the restaurant pushing a cart with a domed plate on it. Bella cranes her neck to watch it roll in as Gordon takes a step towards where the cart comes to rest.

"Right, you'll have an hour to cook, so don't waste any time. Your time starts..." Gordon hovers his hand over the lid, opening it with a flourish. "Now!"

We rush forward towards the uncovered plate. Three ravioli sit beautifully on red mounds, the edges of the pasta pointed towards the center. Two different sauces are drizzled over the plate, one a deep burgundy color and the other looks to be a simple lemon vinaigrette. There are small herbs delicately placed around the plate. One looks to be basil, and the other has a red stem like sorrel, but I'll need to taste it to be sure.

"Since there are five of us and only three ravioli, we'll split each ravioli into two and leave the last half for those who need a final taste," Abel says, looking to us as we nod in agreement. He grabs a knife and a fork, cutting into each ravioli and separating them out onto each corner of the plate.

Abel uses the tine of the fork to pull chunks of white meat in a pinkish purée out, examining it closely. Bella cuts into her ravioli and eats half the piece in one bite, while Taylor uses the tip of her pinkie to try the sauces. Red nibbles on a piece of the meat and stares off into the distance contemplatively.

I grab a fork and dip the end into the inside of my half of the pasta and taking a small chunk of meat, bringing it to my mouth carefully. When the meat touches my tongue, aside from the fact it is delicious, I recognize the flavor of lobster from my platter yesterday. The purée is a bit harder to place, but I know it's pink, fishy, rich, and buttery. There are two fish that spring to mind– trout and salmon. But which one?

I keep the question in the back of my mind as I fork some of the red chunks from under the ravioli piece into my mouth. It has to be a simple tomato chutney, easily. Now for the sauces. I dip my finger into the yellowish sauce and taste it, affirming my guess of it being a lemon vinaigrette. I wipe off my finger then dip it into the reddish sauce, dabbing it on my tongue. Lobster sauce, probably reduced from a stock... which means that the ravioli was likely also cooked in lobster stock. Stifling a grin, I pick up the red-stemmed micro-herb and taste it. Sorrel, definitely. The basil is so easy to distinguish I don't feel the need to try it, but I do anyway to be completely certain. Yep, basil.

Feeling proud of myself, I fill a steaming pot with three inches of salted water, setting it to high heat for it to boil. I fill a second, medium-sized pot with water and set it to boil as well. I notice Red to my right lugging a large pot for her seafood that towers over her head when she sets it on the stove.

I move to gather my ingredients. Gordon has already laid out pasta sheets for us, saving us some time. I take a few sheets and lay them on my prep station, covering them with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Next, my lobster. Gordon has laid out live, one-and-a-half pound lobsters. I feel like a lobster serial killer when I stab the poor thing, killing it instantly and placing it on a steamer rack in the now-boiling pot for about eight minutes. By steaming the lobster, I preserve more of the flavor. I know that isn't exactly a requirement of this challenge, but since I have a chance to show off, I'm going to.

I remove the cores from four small plum tomatoes and score the bottom and tops of each, then drop them into the boiling water of the medium-sized pot. After thirty seconds, the skin starts to peel away. I move the tomatoes to a bowl of ice and let them sit for another thirty seconds. I set a skillet to medium heat, peeling off the skin of the tomatoes and dicing them while I wait for it to heat up. Once the skillet heats, I add in some olive oil and then the diced tomatoes. All I need to do is remember to stir occasionally for the next twenty minutes, and the chutney will come out perfectly.