An episode dedicated to flavors from all over the world thanks to Assaf Granit, the guest chef of the new episode of MasterChef, after Chiara Pavan. In fact, the 6 aspiring chefs remaining in the competition they will have to compete with international cuisine and, for the occasion, a special guest will arrive, Assaf Granit, which embodies the ability to mix different culinary traditions. The Israeli chef, a Michelin star at the Parisian restaurant Shabour and owner of 31 other restaurants located in seven countries, mixes the Middle Eastern cuisine of his origins with ingredients from all over the world that he has discovered during his career. He will present his at MasterChef invention test.
Who is Assaf Granit?
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Assaf Granit, as a child, explored the stalls of the city’s markets and was captivated by the scents that wafted from the kitchens onto the streets. But her true inspiration was her grandmother, Lea, born in Poland where, in turn, she learned to cook from her grandmother. “The food she cooked came from one shtetl Eastern Europe, where our ancestors lived and worked”, explained the chef. «When he arrived in Jerusalem he found himself in a completely new universe. His neighbors came from all over the world and, like her, they received their first culinary education from their grandmothers.”
This is why, for Assaf Granit, the city of Jerusalem had such an important role: «It is the center of the world and attracts people from all backgrounds and walks of life. While my grandmother cooked, she constantly talked to her neighbors through the windows. The woman next door, born in Morocco, taught her how to use saffron. Another, down the street, was from Yemen and explained how to prepare the malawah (a sweet pancake originally from Somalia, ed.)”.
Assaf Granit dreamed of opening a restaurant, but he wanted it to be a place capable of treasure the secrets of his grandmother and Jerusalem. After a stint in the army as a paratrooper, Assaf, along with his best friend and fellow chef, Uri Navon, made this dream come true. After opening his first restaurant, Machneyuda, near Mahane Yehuda Market, has expanded his dining empire in Israel and abroad, opening additional restaurants in Tel Aviv, London, Paris, Berlin and Saint Barth. «Whether it’s the Machneyuda of Jerusalem, of Coal Office of London or the Shabour And Balagan Paris, each of my restaurants has its own personality and history, but they all share this extraordinary encounter between the streets of Jerusalem and experiences and the lessons I learned.”
At the Shabour («chaos in Hebrew), located in a 17th century Parisian building, in a lively neighborhood between rue Saint-Denis and rue Montorgueil, Assaf Granit offers a creative and colorful cuisine rich in Mediterranean influences: carrots with slow cooked egg, mousse tahinisalmon roe and tzimmes (a traditional Jewish stew), seared red mullet in an oriental version of bouillabaisse, semolina pudding with orange blossom and creme anglaise with pumpkin. It is the first Israeli restaurant in France to obtain a Michelin star.
This recipe has already been read 86 times!