Name: Pistachio & Chocolate Opera
Yield: Makes 14-16 slices
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 85 g (3 oz) Pistachio Paste; 180 ml (6 fl oz/¾ cup) water; 100 g (3½ oz) cornflour (cornstarch); 200 g (7 oz) egg whites (about 7 eggs); 170 g (6 oz/¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar; 60 g (2 oz) egg yolks (about 3 eggs); 45 g (1½ oz/4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled; Chopped pistachios, to decorate; 300 g (10 oz) milk chocolate, chopped; 300 g (10 oz) fine dark (bittersweet) chocolate (65% cocoa solids), chopped; ¼ vanilla pod (bean), split lengthways; 125 g (4¼ oz/¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar; 400 g (14 oz) ready-made cherry purée (or see Blackcurrant Purée); 165 g (5½ oz/1⅔ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and at room temperature; 35 g (generous 1¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted; 65 g (2 oz/generous ¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar; 35 g (generous 1¼ oz) Pistachio Paste; 80 g (2¾ oz/generous ⅓ cup) caster (superfine) sugar; 40 g (1½ oz) Pistachio Paste; 75 g (2½ oz/½ cup) Icing (powdered/pure) sugar; 300 g (10 oz/1⅓ cups) caster (superfine) sugar; 120 g (4½ oz) egg whites (about 4 eggs); Chocolate decorations and edible gold leaf, to finish; 125 g (4½ oz/generous ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar; 125 g (4½ oz/1⅔ cups) ground almonds; 50 g (1¾ oz/⅔ cup) ground almonds; 100 g (3½ oz/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened; 2 quantities Chocolate Glasage; 1 vanilla pod (bean), split lengthways; 335 ml (11 fl oz/1⅓ cups) milk

Preparation info

Makes
14-16
slices

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Couture Chocolate

By William Curley

Published 2011

About

The first Opera was created in the 1930s by Louis Clichy for a reception held at the Paris Opera House. Traditionally it is made with layers of sponge and buttercream and flavoured with chocolate and coffee. Here we use Sicilian pistachios, cherries and chocolate and a crème mousseline. As a business we believe that training apprentices and young chefs is very important and this is a great dish for newcomers to learn as it covers many basic skills – assembling the Opera to a high standard i