Monday, February 6, 2012

Cooking With Jesus

If there is one sentence I could use to describe my passion for cooking it would be this. Eating keeps me alive, but Cooking is my life! I have had an interest in cooking since I was a little Sina. My Mom told me when I was three or four I would fold hand towels and act as if they were burgers or steaks. I would use the couch as a huge grill and grab one of my Mom's spatulas and act like I had a restaurant because my Dad had one. She said when I was just one years old, I would go to the kitchen and take out all of her pots and pans, lay them on the floor, and try and cook. She had to eventually hide them because I would do it every-single day. By the time I was 12, I was cooking in my Dad's restaurant. I love to cook.

So lets stop with me and talk about the French. They basically laid the foundation to modern cuisine. They are pioneers in the cooking world, and have come up with most of the techniques that chefs use today. Other than being known for they're unique presentations, pastries, and bread, they are known for their sauces.

By far one of the most important components when building a delicious and unforgettable meal is the sauce. It can take a dry piece of meat and make it seem like it was the best meat you've ever had. It can take just a piece of pound cake and turn it into a delectable desert. Sauces are used for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert.

During the main course the French usually like to use a sauce. It is rare if there is no sauce. The basis for most every sauce in French cuisine is called "fond". The word is French for "foundation". It is the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan after you saute vegetables or any type of meat. Here's what it looks like:


Yeah, I know, it doesn't look like anything does it? Just looks like a mess. Well friends, that is a beautiful sight if you know what you are looking at. At this point, you get the pan very hot, take a type of liquid (stock, spirits, wine) and pour it into the pan. This is called "deglazing" the pan. Here is a pic of deglazing, you can see the "fond" on the left side, and the chef is pouring in some red wine to deglaze in a hot pan.  


What you are doing is dissolving all that amazing flavor the fond has to offer. It is by far the most important part of building a sauce. 

That's right, a sauce is built. It doesn't come from a box, and if it does it will never be as good as sauce built with a fond. Quality and convenience are rarely seen holding hands! After the fond dissolves into the liquid, you can either reduce the sauce (to make it thicker and concentrate flavor) or add some type of fat and other seasonings to make a different type of sauce. At this point the possibilities are endless! 


I could go on and on when talking about cooking, but other than ranting there is a purpose behind telling you all of that. I want to connect it all to how Jesus works in your life (or at least how He works in mine). If your like me, I like number and bullet points. So here goes:

1 - Choose the right materials to build your foundation.

The very first thing you have to do before even getting a fond on the bottom of the pan is searing or sauteing a piece of meat or some veges. You also had to choose a pan and what you were going to cook on. If you choose the wrong pan (like a non stick pan) the fond would have never stuck to the pan. 

Throughout life you have to surround yourself with the right influences. You don't choose who enters or stays in your life, but you choose who you keep and let go. These people will begin to influence what type of foundation you want to build. If you use meat that is rotten, well I'm guessing it wouldn't be a good thing. There were plenty of people in my life that were rotten, and had I stayed around them, I would be decomposing in hatred and self pity. 

2 - JESUS should be the FOUNDATION of your life.

You are the sauce. If fond is your foundation, then you are on your way to become the best sauce possible. 

If you want it literally...

You are you. If Jesus is your foundation, then you are on your way to becoming the best you possible. 

It really is that simple, but just because something is simple doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to the details.  It's simple to just say, "I have made Christ the foundation of my life."... but are you doing anything about it. It takes action. You have to make an effort to make sure Jesus is the center of which everything in your life stems out of. 

3 - When Jesus' love pours over you, it will release your potential.

After you have the foundation of the sauce you have to deglaze the pan. If you don't deglaze the pan, the brown bits on the pan burn and become bitter and undesirable. In this case, Jesus' love is the liquid that is poured into the pan that releases all the potential that the "fond" has to offer. Embracing Jesus' love is the next important step.

All of the brown bits dissolve when deglazing. If just some of the bits dissolved, the final sauce would not be as good as it would have been had every bit of that fond gave itself up. You must surrender all that you are to Christ for Him to pull out all of your potential. He doesn't want some, He wants all of you! You must make a decision to completely give your life to Christ. 

4 - Because Jesus is your foundation, because his Love has formed you... The possibilities are endless.

The sauce is done! What does the chef do with it?... He uses it! He doesn't throw it away or put it aside. If you let a sauce sit too long it becomes cold and eventually separates. You must keep the sauce hot in order for it to stay the way it was formed... If you do not use the new life Christ has given you, it becomes cold or lukewarm! You must make every effort to stay hot and on fire for Christ!

You have new life in Christ, you can now do anything. I saw a quote today on Twitter that read, "When we do what we can, GOD will do what we can't." Give it your all, and watch Christ take it to a new level you never thought was possible.

Embracing Christ as your foundation reveals your potential, but Embracing Christ's love releases it. You are now the ultimate soldier, the ultimate weapon for the Kingdom.

One last thing to close it up. If you look at the picture of the pan with the fond, it just looks dirty and messy. All it takes is to deglaze the pan and keep building the sauce. - If your life is messy, dirty, and just seems like there's no direction... Just know, if you have made Christ as your foundation and begin to embrace his love and give all that you have to offer to him... He can begin building you into a person you never thought you could be. He is the greatest Chef that ever existed and he can't wait to turn you into a beautiful masterpiece that will bless the world!



7 comments:

  1. Bravo!.. that was tastfuly done!!! I'm hungry!!!!...

    Dee Dee

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  2. Awesome stuff. I feel like this could be a chapter in a christian cooking book. let us know when you're at cornerstone bookstore!

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  3. Sina! That was great :) Wonderful words of encouragement and truth, and a great reminder of what Christ is doibg in me as I start my day. Keep it up!

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  4. Sina I think your passion in cooking is something totally genetic!! Did you know that ?:)

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  5. I do Maryam! I know Khale is a great cook, and my Mom is a great cook! We just love food in our Family haha! Miss and Love you Cousin!

    Bri - So glad you enjoyed it!

    Love you Dee Dee!

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    1. Yes yes ... Never seen anyone enjoy cooking more than they do! Sam's pastas was my number 1 favorite as a kid...You wont remember but grandma was a Chef for herself :)
      Miss you and Love you more Sina :)
      Waiting for your next Post so impatiently...

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  6. Sina - this is amazing - what inspiration you are to me and so many others - so blessed to have you in my life. lots of love always, keep up the great writing! - Erin

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