FeGH X Confiture Parisienne
There's nothing like a trip to the sun to recharge your batteries. Confiture Parisienne leaves the greyness of Paris and sets down its bags in the sublime land of deserts and oases. To accompany us on our journey, who better than FeGH?
Confiture Parisienne went to meet her...
Hello Fegh! How are you? Introduce yourself?
Hello Confiture Parisienne, I am fine thank you. I am Frederick Ernestine
Grasser Hermé, but everyone calls me FeGH. I like to say that I am a food thinker, because I am both the author
of 34 cookbooks, chef consultant and coach for people who need help with ideas, trends andcommunication.
How did your passion for cooking come about?
My love for cooking came late in life, at the age of 25.
I actually come from the world of cinema. Before I started cooking, I worked as an advertising manager for René Château, for example. I have participated in no less than 24 Cannes Festivals.
My culinary career has been marked by several successes. Indeed, I won the 1st special prize of the jury at the 2008 Couscous Festival in San Vito Lo Capo, Italy. I was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Order of National Merit for this prize. And since 2018, I host the column Le Geste par FeGH on Paris Première in François Régis Gaudry's show, showing the gesture of the tool (the kitchen utensils) with the complicity of chefs...
How did you meet Nadège & Laura? How did the idea of working together come about?
In 1979, I met Alain Ducasse, and developed the Ducasse Tour Operator.
It was during the 2020 edition (September 11th) that I met the founders of Confiture Parisienne Nadège and Laura. The idea of working together came immediately.
What are your inspirations for your dishes?
I am passionate about food in its entirety. Culinarily speaking, all regions of the world interest me. Without preferences, a broad vision. For our collaboration, I am inspired by my experiences in the Maghreb.
I was in charge of the Dar Ahlam hotel, the house of dreams in Arabic, in the palm grove of Skoura, but also Dar Hi in Tunisia, an eco-lodge, where the culture of the oasis is emphasized.
In these countries I was able to taste, elaborate fresh and arranged harissa
Why make a harissa? It's a rather original jam...
Two months earlier, Couscous, which is one of the most popular meals in France, was listed as an intangible heritage by UNESCO. We needed a special harissa for the occasion, you understand. I thought of making it like a jam, so Confiture Parisienne seemed to be just right.
The fresh and dry chillies are first crushed. The garlic and spices are then put in a jar and finally cooked in a cauldron, like a jam in fact. I added a singularity to this home-made recipe: raspberry. It brings freshness and soothes the strength of the chilli. It's innovative, fresh....
Any tips for tasting Harissa?
It can be eaten as a side dish as well as a main course. In a plate with raspberries, a dash of virgin olive oil, mint leaves, coriander, new garlic tapered into petals. You can also marry it with some couscous, your fish. The kesra would also be a good option for accompaniment.
