April 29
José Plácido Domingo Embil's Birthday
 


When one discusses multiple personalities in opera stars, they generally do not mean the psychiatric condition popularized on the TV hit, The United States of Tara. They refer to the distinctive vocal characteristicsrequired to effectively portray a role in a specific opera. With that allegory in mind, Showtime may want to consider another program titled The United States of Plácido which could feature all of the 124 roles that José Plácido Domingo Embil (better known as Plácido Domingo), has brilliantly portrayed vocally and dramatically, singing in his native Spanish, French, Italian, English, and Russian. Placido Domngo is one of the best-known lyric tenors and has earned universal acclaim for his portrayals of such roles as Cavaradossi in Tosca, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Radames in Aida, Don Carlo in Don Caro, Otello in Otello, Don Jose in Camen, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann, Canio in I Pagliacci, and Samson in Samson and Delilah.

Plácido has also earned acclaim as an opera conductor and made his formal conductor debut with La Traviata at the New York City Opera in October 1973,  He followed this triumph at the Metropolitan Opera, conducting La Boheme. Although artists are generally lacking in administrative skills,
Placido accepted the positions of General Director of both the Washington National Opera and of the Los Angeles Opera. Both companies enjoy today special artistic acclaim and financial stability.

Placido is one of the world's top classical and cross-over recording stars. His recordings of operas, arias duet albums, and cross-over material, are consistently best seller and at one time, seven of his CD's appeared simultaneously on Billboard's top-selling charts of classical and cross-over recordings. Eight of his records have gone gold, meaning they have sold well over one million copies.

To appropriately celebrate  Plácido's birthday, we recommending renting a copy of  Franco Zefferelli's film of the opera Otello (1986) ,the wildly unconventional production features the character Cassio (played by Urbano Barberini) naked on his bed having an erotic dream about Desdemona - something you won't see on stage at the Met.  Because Placido is wearing the conventional theatrical blackface as the Moor of Venice, we suggest serving the spectacular Aussie treat, Chocolate Aria Tart which was featured on the Australian TV Masterchef finale on July 19th 2009 which was viewed 4.11 million Aussies. Masterchef Matt Moran, Head Chef of Sydney’s famed Aria restaurant overlooking the Opera House, walked in and demonstrated its signature dessert which cost $24.00 a slice at the time'

 

Chocolate Aria Tart
 


Chocolate Pastry
Ingredients
 

Chocolate Tart Ingredients
320g plain flour
60g cocoa
160g caster sugar
Pinch salt
160g cold butter, diced
2 eggs
 
210g dark chocolate, chopped
60g Jivar chocolate, chopped*
60g butter, diced
315 ml cream
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
 
Chocolate Pipe Ingredients

250g dark chocolate



 
Chocolate Sauce Ingredients
 
60g cocoa
200ml water
120g caster sugar
25g butter, diced
 
Chocolate Glacage (chocolate glaze) Ingredients

300g dark chocolate, chopped
240ml cream
300ml chocolate sauce

Chocolate Macaroon Ingredients

240g icing sugar
125g almond meal
25g cocoa
100g egg whites

Chocolate Sorbet Ingredients

800ml water
150g powdered sugar
500g dark chocolate, chopped





 

Chocolate Pastry Instructions

 
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until it resembles fine
    breadcrumbs. Add the eggs and process until dough just starts to come together. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and gently knead until
     just smooth. Shape into a disc and cover with plastic wrap, then place in the fridge
     for 10 minutes to rest.
2. Roll out the pastry to a 15 x 40cm rectangle, about 3mm thick. Line a shallow 10 x 34cm (base measurement) fluted tart  tin with a removable
    base with the pastry and trim any excess. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.
3. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and rice and bake for a further 5-10  minutes or until firm to touch.
 
Chocolate Tart Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl.
3. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
4. Pour cream over chocolate in bowl and stir until smooth, stir in eggs.
5. Pour chocolate mixture into tart shell and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature then ice with chocolate glacage. Place
    remaining tart mixture in blast chiller until mousse-like.
6. Refrigerate tart in blast chiller for 20-30 minutes or until firm. Remove tart from tart tin. Trim away pastry on all 4 edges.  Cut tart into 7 fingers
   (about 3-3.5cm thick).

Chocolate Pipe Instructions

1. Place 200g of the chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Warm the chocolate to 55°C.
    Remove bowl from heat and add remaining 50g chocolate, leave chocolate to cool to 26-27°C. Place bowl in oven for 5
    seconds to slightly warm or until chocolate is 30-31°C.
2. Pour spoonful of the tempered chocolate over a sheet of acetate (4 x 25cm).
3. Spread out with a palette knife and stand to set for 3-4 minutes.
4. Place the sheet inside the tube. Leave to set about 1 hour.
5. Remove from the tube and remove the acetate.

Chocolate Sauce Instructions

1. Combine cocoa, water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over heat until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil. Stir in butter,
    strain through a sieve placed over a bowl.

Chocolate Glacage Instructions

1. Place chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
3. Pour cream over chocolate in bowl and stir until smooth, stir in chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sorbet Instructions

1. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan, stir until dissolved, then bring to the boil.
2. Place chocolate in a bowl and pour syrup over the chocolate, stir until melted. Strain through a sieve. Cover closely withplastic wrap to avoid
    skin forming, place in blast chiller until chilled. Place in bowl of ice-cream machine and churn. Transfer to a container and place in the freezer
    until ready to use.
 

Chocolate Macaroon Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C
2. Sieve sugar, almond meal and cocoa into a bowl
3. Whisk egg whites until stiff (full volume) and slowly add dry ingredients, using clean hands gently fold through.
4. Using a plain nozzle, pipe 4mm rounds of macaroons on to a baking paper-lined oven tray. Stand for 20-30 minutes or until a skin has formed
    over the macaroons.
5. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until set

Chocolate Macaroon Crumbs Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Crumble macaroon to sand-like consistency onto a baking paper-lined oven tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until dry. Cool
.

Plating Instructions

1, Spread a little chocolate glacage clockwise around ½ the plate.
2. Place a slice of chocolate tart on the glacage.
3  Spread base of macaroon with a small amount of set tart filling place on the plate and top with a teaspoon quenelle of sorbet that has been
    lightly whisked.
4. Place a small dot of set tart filling on plate, top with a spoon of macaroon crumbs and top with a teaspoon quenelle of double thick cream.
5. Top the tart with a little spoon of set tart filling and dot the plate with another little spoon of set tart filling and top with chocolate pipe (This will
    secure the chocolate pipe).

 
*Jivar or Jivara is available from French chocolate manufacturer Valrhona and you should be able to find it at specialty or gourmet food stores or online at http://www.valrhona-chocolate.com .


© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes