Checkmate

The Olympics have finally arrived and London is going in overdrive...I have to say that in one way it's very frustrating to be a Londoner at the moment, I mean the traffic is terrible, people are just everywhere, and the enthusiasm that has been created around Team GB is just mind blowing. But on the other hand, how big is the chance that in you're lifetime, you will have the privilege to feel the atmosphere of the Olympics right at your doorstep. So I guess I owe it to myself to just dive in and enjoy it like everyone else, even though for us Londoners life still goes on and work needs to be done.

talking about work...I think I can speak for most of us here in London if I say that the Olympics haven't brought us the what we were expecting from it. Shopping streets are dead, restaurants don't have bookings and major attractions are just empty. For the Arts Club its more or less the same, our locals have escaped london and wont be back until September, so I was kind off forced into taking a small holiday.

Although Chess is not an Olympic sport, I did find a picture of a cake called "Checkmate" that I made for a Belgian pastry magazine a few years back. The cake consists of a Currysbiscuit, banana cremeux, spiced apple compote and a white chocolate and greek yoghurt mousse. Under the picture you can find the recipe in case you guys feel creative and wanne have a go at it!

For the currybiscuit you need: 250 gr eggs, 500 gr sugar, 500 gr four, 30 gr baking powder, 500 gr cream, 300 gr olive oil and 25 gr curry powder. You make a pate a bombe from the eggs and sugar, sieve the flour and baking powder and fold it under the pate a bombe. After mix together the cream, oil and curry powder and add it to the mix. bake for 10min at 180°C.

The banana cremeux: 400 gr fresh banana puree, 1 lime, 200 gr eggs, 150 gr sugar, 6 gr gelatine and 100 gr butter. Put the gelatine to bloom in ice-cold water. heat up the banana puree, lime zeste and juice. Mix the eggs and sugar and add the hot puree, bring to 85°C while mixing. let it cool down to 60°C before adding the gelatine, and to 40°C before mixing under the soft butter.

For the spiced apple compote you need: 5 sour apples, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 vanilla stick, 2 star anise, 150 gr sugar and 75 gr butter. First you peel and core the apples, then you dice then into small cubes. Melt the butter, add the sugar, the spices and caramelise. when nice and golden brown, you add the diced apples. make sure they still have some bite to it.

For the mousse you need: 300 gr greek yoghurt, 125 gr cream, 1 vanilla stick, 400 gr white chocolate, 8 gr gelatine and 750 gr semi-whipped cream. Again you put the gelatine to bloom in ice-cold water. heat up the cream with the vanilla, melt in the gelatine, pour over the greek yoghurt and mix. Mix this under the melted chocolate and fold under the Semi-whipped cream.

Thats it!!! Enjoy!!!