The opera, its history and our selection of the best addresses

Anne Debbasch | 11/15/23

Now a taste in its own right, opera - chocolate and coffee - is one of the great classics of French patisserie. Each pastry chef has his own interpretation, from the most traditional to the most sophisticated.

Emblematic of French savoir-faire, opera was created in 1955 by Cyriaque Gavillon, pastry chef at Dalloyau. A visionary, he wanted to create a refined cake that would allow all the flavors to be savored in a single bite. His secret? Three layers of a light joconde cookie, two of coffee buttercream and one of chocolate ganache, all covered with chocolate icing. Gault&Millau invites you to discover 5 exceptionaloperas.

Jérémy Del Val's opera, Dalloyau Paris

An unchanged recipe since its creation, Dalloyau's Opéra is a model of its kind. Its texture is both dense and smooth, and its taste is unmistakable, with notes of coffee and chocolate. To be savored at least once in your life!
► www.dalloyau.fr

Gilles Marchal's opera house, Paris

At Gilles Marchal 's in Montmartre, opera is a must. Lighter than the opera of yesteryear, it stands out for its delicate, marked coffee flavor and soft texture. On a joconde cookie with sweet almonds, the light buttercream is flavored with an infusion of Burmese coffee. Combined with a grand cru dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with cocoa powder, the pastry restores its noble credentials to this sometimes neglected cake.
► www.gillesmarchal.com

L'opéra, Maison Lenôtre, Paris

A hallmark of Gaston Lenôtre's pastry-making, the opera is one of the Parisian House's emblematic desserts. Never equaled, the almond cookie is soaked in a coffee syrup carefully selected by Guy Krenzer. Between the layers of cookie, a smooth coffee cream and a creamy chocolate ganache are inserted. Its individual version is modernized finger food style, for the gourmet taste but for the sensations, we prefer the family version to be cut into more generous portions. The dark chocolate slab on top creates a delicious textural contrast. We want more!
► www.lenotre.com

The opera macaron by Pierre Hermé, Paris

If his opera stands out for its sophisticated and unexpected visual - round and openwork - Pierre Hermé interprets it in a unique version: the opera macaron. In this gourmet mouthful, notes of cocoa play the main role, before the fragrance of red Brazilian Iapar coffee gradually reveals itself for a high-flying tasting experience. An irresistible macaroon that symbolizes in a single bite this taste recognizable among a thousand.
► www.pierreherme.com

Jacques Genin's opera house, Paris

He makes it a point of honor to create traditional pastries. His first move, to rethink recipes by reducing the amount of sugar and using fresh ingredients. Although he doesn't offer pastries in his stores, he makes them to order to preserve their freshness, calling himself a pastry chef. For his opera, he applies the same exacting standards, using coffee beans to prepare the soaking syrup, a deliciously melting coffee buttercream and a light cookie for an intense dessert that's incredibly fresh on the palate.
► www.jacquesgenin.fr

Patrick Agnelet's opera, Annecy

Patrick Agnelet pushes the greediness of his opera. "I superimpose four layers of very tender almond joconde cookie that I generously soak in Malabar coffee, then alternate Pure Origine du Mexique dark chocolate ganache and coffee mousseline cream.The alternation creates harmony."In his opera, crème mousseline replaces traditional buttercream, adding a lightness of taste. The cake is then covered with a chocolate glaze.
► www.patrickagnellet.com