White Chocolate and Coconut Truffles (with lemon and macadamia)

Having a chocolatier for a father meant that by the age of nine I was a deft hand at the art of truffle making. The classic truffle is consists of chocolate ganache worked into a ball and coated in cocoa powder (it resembles the black truffle fungus, hence the name). Below is the recipe for one of my favourite truffles (admittedly my father refuses to acknowledge it as a true truffle, because it doesn't use cream, nor does it use real chocolate in his opinion):

Makes approx. 20

Ingredients

125ml coconut milk

400g Lindt white chocolate

zest of one lemon

100g macadamia nuts

150g desiccated coconut

Method

1. Heat water in a large pot on the stove. Place the coconut milk and white chocolate into a large glass/stainless steel bowl.  2. Place this over the pot with the hot, not boiling, water. Stir the chocolate until it has melted and formed a smooth mixture. Allow to cool. 

3. Add the lemon zest and a few drops of lemon juice to taste.

4. Refrigerate the mixture for 30-60 minutes. Once the mixture is firm to touch and workable it is ready to be rolled.

5. Roll one macadamia into the center of the truffle, form a ball and then roll the truffle in the desiccated coconut. 

6. Return to the fridge for another hour.

Note: Never melt your chocolate in a microwave, the risk of burning it is much too high. Rather use the technique of a glass bowl over some hot water, but make sure that the water isn't boiling and that NO water comes in contact with the chocolate. Boiling water causes steam which then condenses into water droplets. One drop will ruin melting chocolate (although chocolate can safely be melted in water, one drop will cause the cocoa solids and fats to separate and the chocolate to tighten)