Crème au Chocolat

Preparation

1. Break up the chocolate or grate coarsely into a pudding basin. Add 3 tablespoons water. Set over a pan of simmering water, and stir until the mixture is smooth and melted and fairly hot (though nowhere near boiling — if you overheat chocolate it turns to mud). Remove the basin from the pan, and rapidly beat in the egg yolks and the sugar. Whisk the cream until thick, and stir it quickly into the cooled chocolate. Finally whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them in with a metal spoon last of all. These last two operations should be done delicately, so that the cream will be as airy and light as possible. Divide between one large shallow dish or eight glasses. Chill until set. Serve with plain or almond biscuits.