Assorted Decorated Truffles

Warm the cream and butter in a saucepan set over a moderate heat. Place the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it to one side. Place 200 g of the white chocolate in another heatproof bowl.

As the cream approaches boiling point, remove it from the heat and pour two-thirds over the milk chocolate and the rest over the white.

Leave them to sit for a minute before stirring until evenly melted. Cover and chill both mixtures for 20 minutes until firm.

Roll two-thirds of the milk chocolate mixture into balls, arranging them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. With the remaining mixture, roll tablespoons into rough truffle shapes and place on the tray.

Roll the white chocolate mixture into balls and arrange on a separate lined tray, spaced apart. Chill the truffles as you temper the remaining white chocolate.

Place the remaining white chocolate in a food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with boiling water and set it to one side.

Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl and continue to blitz for a further 1–2 minutes until the chocolate starts to clump into a ball. Break up the ball with a spatula and scrape it down into the base of the bowl.

Blitz the chocolate again until it starts to liquefy and reach 30°C / 87F on a sugar thermometer. Pour the water out of the warm bowl and dry it thoroughly. Scrape the liquid chocolate into the warmed bowl and stir until even and fluid.

Use a skewer to pick up half of the round milk chocolate truffles and dip them into the melted chocolate. Once coated evenly, arrange on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Chill for 15 minutes.

Roll the remaining milk truffle balls in cocoa powder and leave them to dry. Drizzle any remaining melted white chocolate over the rough truffles and leave them to dry.

Roll the white chocolate truffle balls in the desiccated coconut and set to one side. Melt the dark chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a half-filled saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.