Ingredients

Topping
6oz semi-sweet (plain) chocolate
1 tbs castor sugar
4 tbs light (single) cream

Method
1. Well grease a pudding dish and bring water to boil in a saucepan or the bottom part of a steamer. The water should come 3/4 of the way up the pudding basin (dish).

2. First make the topping. Melt the chocolate and then stir in the cream and sugar and put in the bottom of the basin.

3. Beat the butter until soft, then beat in sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Gradually beat in the eggs, add a tablespoon of flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

5. Sieve the flour and cocoa together then fold into the butter mixture. Put the mixture into the pudding basin.

6. Cover the pudding basin with aluminium foil, overlapping the sides of the basin. Tie string securely around the top of the basin to keep the foil in place so preventing water entering. (Alternatively you can get plastic pudding basins with lids that clip on.)

7. Put the basin in the saucepan with the boiling water. Adjust the heat so the water simmers constantly and keep topped up with boiling water as it boils away.

8. Cook for about 90 minutes, turn on to a plate to serve with cream.

Taboulleh Salad

Tabbouleh is probably the most famous of Middle Eastern salads. I had this recently as part of lunch in a Lebanese restaurant. It was so delicious and refreshing that I had to have the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of bulghur wheat (burghul)
• 2 cups finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• Lettuce leaves to garnish

Method

1. Using a sieve, wash the burghul in cold water, removing any stones. Drain it and squeeze any excess water out.
2. Place the burghul into a bowl with lemon juice and put aside.
3. Finely chop the parsley, traditionally done by hand.
4. Finely chop the mint and mix with parsley.
5. Cut the tomatoes into quarters,  remove and discard seeds and pulp.
6. Finely cut the remaining pieces of tomato.
7. Finely chop the onion, again making the pieces as small as possible. Once it is chopped, rub salt and black pepper into it.
8. Mix all the chopped ingredients with the burghul, then stir in the olive oil.
9. Put in a serving bowl, on a bed of lettuce leaves. It may be eaten immediately, or left for several hours in the refrigerator. The longer it is left, the softer the burghul becomes.