Medley's by Luna

Mexican Coffee and Chocolate Tarts

Standard disclaimer applies.

All recipes were obtained from the internet. Those who know me know I do not cook. Ever. Except maybe the occasional Mac n' Cheese (and even that comes out wrong).

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Medley's

1: B

By: Luna

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When Sesshoumaru entered the usually quiet and docile café, his ears were assaulted by a confused mix of voices; cheers, yells, boo's, and laughter. He stood frozen at the doorway, unsure of whether he should stay or go. There was hardly an open seat in the house, and he hated crowds.

Just when he started to edge out the door, he caught sight of a familiar face, and hesitated. Though smiling, the waitress that usually served him looked frazzled… and slightly harassed. And for some unknown reason, Sesshoumaru found himself moving deeper into the throng of bodies, until he made it to his back corner that had, miraculously, been kept clear.

Unfortunately the waitress that approached him was not his waitress, and he scowled at her when she asked him his order. "Where is the woman that usually serves this table?"

The woman looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir. This has always been my table."

Sesshoumaru huffed, irritation creeping along his spine, and he had to remind himself that he needed to be polite to lesser beings with little intelligence. Slowly, he said, "No, it has not. She is petite, has black hair and blue eyes."

The confused look in the waitress' eyes disappeared and she laughed. "Oh, you mean Kagome-sama!"

Kagome-sama?

The waitress seemed to notice his confusion, for she elaborated. "Kagome-sama is the owner of Medley's, sir, not a waitress. She only comes out to serve - oh!"

Interestingly enough, the daft woman colored, and she muttered something before scurrying off. He sat there scowling down at the table, not really knowing what to order. Whenever he sat down, his waitress - Kagome - would take one look at him and bring out a coffee without saying a word, each blend and taste different than the last. He dreaded the waitress coming back to ask his order, because how was he supposed to know?

He did not want anybody but her serving his food, but did not know how to voice his complaint without making the daft girl cry - it had happened before, and if his Kagome really was the owner of this establishment, he did not want to make her mad at him for being rude to one of her girls.

To his relief, Kagome appeared in the crowd, and she made a beeline for him. He felt pleased at this, and relaxed slightly.

"Hi!" She said brightly as she moved to stand in front of him. "I didn't think you'd actually make it today!"

He was unable to tell her his reasons why he even bothered in the first place. "Hnn."

"Sorry about the crowd, I guess a high school championship game let out, and they came here." She said apologetically, wincing when the sound of something breaking reached their corner. "Er, I'll be right back, sir!"

Her small form was instantly swallowed by the crowd, and he scowled at teenagers and adults alike who did not know how to conduct themselves in public.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the back of her shop, the cool temperature of the kitchen helping cool her down a bit. It was too rowdy, and she hoped tonight's crowd would help pay for the damage they were already creating. She had issued warnings, and she only hoped that they would comply.

Rolling her shoulders, she closed her eyes, smiling a little as she thought of what flavor her nameless customer was in for today. Decision made, she got to work.

As her coffee grinder hummed and started to brew, she pulled out cinnamon, chocolate syrup, nutmeg, sugar, and a carton of heavy cream. She combined a half cup of heavy cream with a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg, a table spoon of sugar, three quarters of cinnamon, and then whipped them together quickly with an expert flick of her wrist.

Using a demitasse cup, she poured in one teaspoon of chocolate syrup before pulling out the small pot of just brewed double strength gourmet coffee - using four tablespoons of coffee to every twelve ounces of water - adding a teaspoon of cinnamon into the mix before she poured the coffee into the demitasse, stirring the brew thoroughly before topping it off with a dollop of her just-made spiced whipped cream.

Though she made enough for four, she only took a single cup with her and placed it on her tray before running to the refrigerator, where she had her present waiting for him.

Last night, knowing her customers penchant for things with a mix of sweet and spicy, she had made him a chocolate-glazed chocolate tart. She had started by making a graham cracker crust with nine graham crackers finely ground to make approximately one cup, mixed with melted butter and sugar and baked for about ten minutes until it was firm. For the filling she brought one and a quarter cup of heavy cream to a boil, then poured nine ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate and stirred until smooth.

She then whisked together eggs, vanilla extract, and salt in another bowl before stirring into the melted chocolate. After pouring the mixture into the nine-inch round fluted tart pan, crust already cooled inside, she baked until the filling was set about three inches from the edge and, when gently tapped, still wobbled in the middle. She set her tart in her pan rack to cool for an hour before placing it in the refrigerator overnight.

The tart was best the day it is made, but since she made it the night before she refrained from adding the glaze until that very morning. She made the glaze by heating two tablespoons of heavy cream before stirring in nearly two cups of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate until smooth. Next she stirred in corn syrup and warm water, and once smooth she poured the glaze over her tart to coat evenly.

She had tried a piece earlier in the afternoon, and it made her toes curl it was so delicious. Humming to herself as she cut a small slice for her favorite customer; she set it down next to the cup of Mexican Coffee before hurrying outside.

She preened, happiness bubbling inside her, when his eyes landed on her offering with what might have been lust, and maybe just a little relief. He sipped the spicy coffee before trying a small bite of tart, and she beamed when he closed his eyes at the taste.

"Is everything to your liking?"

When he opened his eyes to stare at her, the back ground noises disappeared, and for one small moment in time it was just the two of them, and he was looking at her, and not just what she brought out to him.

And he said, "Yes," very softly. "Yes, I think it is."

.oOoOoOoOo.

Prompt: Babeldom, Smitee's ABC Challenge, May 5th 2011

Words: 1142

A/N: If you guys haven't realized it yet, this story has the main focus of food… and romance. ^^