To make a classic dark chocolate ganache, use the following recipe as your base.

Makes up to 50 chocolates

250g dark chocolate
250g double cream
100g light muscovado sugar

First, break the chocolate into small, even-sized pieces and place in a medium-size mixing bowl. Place the cream and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. This will fully dissolve the sugar and kill any bacteria that may be present in the cream.

Turn off the heat and allow the cream to cool for 1 minute. (Pouring the cream on to the chocolate while boiling will scorch it and cause the cocoa butter in the chocolate to separate, resulting in a split ganache.)

Now pour your rested cream on to the chocolate pieces and mix well with a spatula or whisk until smooth and very glossy.

Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature, then place it, covered, in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until it is fully set.

To roll the truffles, remove the set ganache from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, scoop even-sized pieces of the chocolate and place on to a sheet of parchment paper.

Powder your hands with cocoa powder, and then, using your fingers, begin to roll the ganache into evenly shaped spheres. Take care not to take too long over this, as the ganache will begin to melt and become impossible to roll.

Place the rolled truffles back on the parchment paper.

You can eat the truffles at this point, as they are dusted in cocoa powder, but I think a real truffle needs to have a crisp shell to protect it and to give a textural difference. To create this shell, you will need to coat your truffle in tempered chocolate.

If you are not eating the dusted truffles, place them in the fridge until needed.

Taken from Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A Young (Kyle Cathie, £17.99, out next month). Photograph by Anders Schønnemann