Make truffles yourself — white, milk and dark

Weigh out the full cream, add the Glucose syrup and the Sorbitol syrup and bring it all to the boil once in a small pan. Stir with the Whisk as you do so, so the Glucose syrup lifts off the bottom of the pan — it is sticky and otherwise settles at the bottom.

As soon as the cream boils, take the pan off the heat. Boiling it longer achieves nothing and only evaporates liquid that you need in the Ganache.

Put the couverture in a Bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Wait a moment before stirring — let the chocolate soften from the heat first.

Then stir with the Whisk from the centre outwards. At first the mixture looks curdled and unappealing, that's normal: just keep stirring until it suddenly turns and becomes glossy, smooth and homogeneous. That's exactly when the Ganache is ready — no more lumps, no fatty edge.

Fill the finished Ganache into a Piping bag and let it cool at room temperature for around 20 minutes. The target temperature is about 26 °C — hand-warm, no more.

Why this matters: too hot and the Ganache melts the Hollow praline ball from the inside, and you get holes when sealing. Too cold and it can no longer be piped through the opening. If you want to be precise, measure it; otherwise the back of your hand will do — the Ganache should feel lukewarm, not warm.

In the meantime, stand the Piping bag upright in a tall glass so nothing leaks out.

Place the hollow praline balls in their tray, just as they are delivered: this way they stand upright and won't tip over. Cut a small opening in the Piping bag — better too small and cut again than too large.

Fill each ball to just below the rim, not right to the top. The small hollow space at the top is intentional: that's where the sealing chocolate goes next, and if the Ganache reaches all the way up, you'll end up with a bump instead of a round ball.

Work briskly, but without rushing. 63 balls are filled faster than you'd think.

Let the filled balls stand at room temperature for at least an hour. During this time a thin skin forms on the Ganache.

This is not a waiting game but the real trick of this step: the sealing chocolate can be placed cleanly onto a firm surface. If you seal too early, it sinks into the soft Ganache and the ball gets a dent — or it runs out during dipping.

Don't put them in the fridge. Condensation forms there, and water is the only thing that truly ruins tempered chocolate.

Now you need tempered couverture for the first time. Use the same type as for the Ganache and temper it — in the tempering device or by hand, as described in the tempering post.

Place a small dab on each opening, just enough to close the hole. Smooth the excess with a Spreading palette or the back of a knife while the chocolate is still liquid.

Let the seals set briefly before you carry on — they should turn matt and feel firm. This takes just a few minutes.

Place the ball on the round dipping fork and push it fully below the surface of the tempered couverture once. Submerge it completely — otherwise the bare Hollow praline ball stays visible in one spot, and you'll notice it later.

The couverture should be around 31 to 32 °C (dark), 30 to 31 °C (milk) or 28 to 29 °C (white). If it's warmer, the coating turns thick and dull; if it's cooler, it sets too quickly and you won't get any spikes.

Slide the fork under the ball and lift it out. Tap the fork gently up and down a few times over the edge of the bowl so the excess couverture drips off. Wipe the underside of the fork along the rim.

This is the step people like to rush — and then every truffle later ends up standing on a little chocolate foot. Two extra seconds of dripping save you ten seconds of touch-up work later.

After that, set no more than four to five truffles on the Cake rack before you carry on. You won't manage more before the first ones set too firmly.

Now it's decided whether the truffles get their spikes. Tap very lightly with the prong of a dipping fork onto the outermost chocolate layer and slowly pull it up and away.

If a little peak forms and stays put, the couverture has set just right — go for it. If the peak sinks back into itself, wait ten seconds and try again. If nothing sticks to the fork at all, it's already too late: the chocolate has set firm and the surface stays smooth.

This window is short, about half a minute. That's why you should only do four to five balls at a time.

Take two 3-prong dipping forks, one in each hand, and gently roll the truffle over the Cake rack. Don't press — the truffle should turn, not drag.

Roll it in every direction until it has the classic peaks all around. With each turn the Cake rack pulls fine threads out of the still-soft couverture, and those are exactly what stay standing as spikes.

Wipe the forks with kitchen paper after every third or fourth ball. Sticky forks tear the spikes back off instead of making new ones.

Once you are happy with the pattern, set the truffle down on baking paper using the two forks and let it cool completely there. Don't touch it any more — fingerprints stay visible.

When all the truffles are coated, put them in the fridge for about five minutes. This is not for storage, just a final boost so the coating sets firmly and shines nicely. After that, take them out again.

Done. The truffles shine, the peaks stand up, and when you bite into them the coating cracks before the Ganache comes through.

Store them at room temperature in a closed tin, and they will keep for up to four weeks. Not in the fridge: there they sweat when you take them out, and the surface turns grey and dull.

For a course or as a gift: 63 pieces fill about three medium Cookie tins.