Make your own White Chocolate Truffles & chocolate tips

Dimo Simatos of the Lindt Chocolate Studio in Cape Town shows you how to make truffles the easy way.

You'll need:

200g (200ml) coconut milk
60g (45ml) glucose syrup
600g blancor couverture 36%
120g (375ml) pistachio nuts, chopped (or dessicated coconut)

Bring the coconut milk and glucose to the boil.

Pour over the couverture and allow to sit for one minute.

Then mix from the centre to form a core until a smooth mass is achieved.

Add the chopped pistachio nuts and allow the mixture to set at room temperature until it reaches a soft butter consistency.

Agitate and pipe or scoop to portions and allow the balls to set.

Finally, coat with dark or white couverture and toss in more chopped pistachio nuts.

Voila! You've just made truffles.

Chocolate tips
Here are some handy tips from chocolatier and chef Dimo Simatos, the head of Lindt's Chocolate Studio.
Tip: Weigh out your glucose into a bowl lined with clingfilm/plastic wrap. Then twist it to form a little sealed package. When you need to use it all you have to do is snip off the end or puncture it and squeeze out the perfect portion.

Tip: If you can't get liquid glucose, use honey, golden syrup or maple syrup – but do realise that it will affect the flavour of the end product.

Tip: Never melt chocolate in a microwave oven.

Tip: Take your cream/milk and glucose mixture to the bowl containing your chocolate and not the other way around. Chocolate doesn't like to be shocked by heat. By adding the hot milk mixture to the chocolate it melts more gently.

Tip: Work cool. Lindt's chocolate studio is fully air-conditioned and all work is done on marble countertops. So don't decide to make truffles in the heat of the day...

Tip: Pour your chocolate mixture into plastic trays rather than bowls. It allows for more even cooling.

Tip: Once you've poured your mixture into a plastic tray, place a layer of plastic wrap over the top of it, in contact with the chocolate mixture. This prevents a skin forming as the mixture cools.

Tip: Use a heat-resistant spatula when stirring your mixture if possible.

Tip: When making truffles, it's important for the chocolate ganache to set properly before you begin piping or rolling into balls. It mustn't set hard, just to piping consistency.

Tip: If your chocolate ganache splits for whatever reason, just add a splash (JUST a splash...) of boiling water and stir it vigorously to bring the mixture back together.

Tip: If a recipe calls for a certain percentage of chocolate (35%, 50%, 70% or 80%) don't just substitute with whatever you have on hand. The recipe has been developed specifically for that type of chocolate – so use it.

Tip: Line your board with plastic wrap/clingfilm or baking paper. It's easy to clean up afterwards.

Tip: Pipe your truffle in one long stripe or strand and then cut to whatever length or size you prefer. Piping is a good way to ensure uniformity.