Instructions: Whisk 1/2 of the cream until stiff and spread it around the edges of a large bowl. Freeze for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Dissolve the sugar in the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes until syrupy. Meanwhile, break chocolate into blender or warm bowl.

Pour the hot sugar syrup onto the chocolate and blend or whisk until the chocolate has all melted. Add the egg yolks and mix the whole lot thoroughly.

Whisk the remaining cream into soft peaks and fold gently into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the centre of the frozen cream and freeze for several hours until solid. Cover when fully frozen.

NOTES:
* A high-cholesterol chocolate dessert -

friends aunt. It always seems to taste wonderful no matter how sloppily I measure things.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

* Although the recipe "serves 4-6," two people will happily eat the whole thing.

* The outside is frozen solid, so you may find a fork useful for breaking your portion into pieces without showering fellow diners with fragments. It could be served in small portions, but dont count on having any left over.

* Double cream has more than 45 percent butterfat. It is difficult to find cream in North America that is richer than whipping cream, which is typically 32 percent butterfat. If you can find heavy cream it is likely to be 36 percent. Use the richest cream you can find.

Difficulty: easy.

Time: 20 minutes preparation, 3 hours cooling.

Precision: no need to measure.

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