How to make chocolate truffles

There is a very particular fear that runs down your spine when you realise you’ve forgotten to buy a gift, be it for a birthday, Christmas or as a surprise for a special someone. Whatever the occasion, the same panic spreads through you, the social anxiety of knowing that you have failed in gift-giving etiquette, that you’re going to have to receive their present with nothing to hand over in return.

Having learnt the hard way, this is why I like to have a little stash of homemade edible presents at home, ready to swerve such an occasion. Over the years I’ve done jams and jellies, fudges and toffees, little jars and crinkly cellophane bags, all bedecked with ribbons, ready to be doled out.

I actually don’t think there’s anything lovelier than a homemade, edible gift. I’m probably biased, as I’m slightly more likely to be the gift giver than receiver in this particular equation. I love the jars and boxes I’ve received from friends and family over the years: they’re inherently personal, intimate even – an insight into the gifter – as well as usually being delicious (let’s forget about the year I tried my hand at lime marmalade). This year, I’ve been making chocolate truffles: partly because they’re quick and easy to make, meaning that I don’t have to be terribly organised, partly because I can adapt them to whatever is already in my cupboard, and partly because they are near-universally popular. Who doesn’t love a little bag of chocolates?

This is, I think, more a method, or a set of suggestions, more than a recipe. Really, what you’re doing is making a simple ganache and chilling it, then rolling it in something that isn’t sticky. Once you’ve got that blueprint, you can make it your own. You can flavour your ganache with whatever you fancy: keep it straightforward with just dark, milk, or white chocolate, or try a splash of booze, a couple of tablespoons of hazelnut paste in with the ganache, or infuse the cream with orange zest or whole spices.