Chocolate & Coffee

My camera needs bluetooth so I can more easily just dump photos as I go. We had a great Sunday and did pretty much like I had hoped. It started on Saturday night with [Bill](http://www.mostlymuffins.biz “Baker Bill”) working hard for the chocolate. He played for the first (sans a little home fudge test) time with [Dagoba](http://www.dagobachocolate.com “Chocolate”) chocolate and pulled together three mousse of the three grades of chocolate, milk, semi, and dark. They made for an excellent assemblage that was enjoyed the following day.

Sunday we got up late to our regret. We rallied early and with Bill & Karen in tote we head to the [Cheesecake Factory](http://www.cheesecakefactory.com) for a brunch. We mozied down to [Sur la Table](http://www.surlatable.com) and I picked up exactly what I thought, but it was as usual more than I had bargained for hehehe. I needed correct size espresso cups. I picked up two of each type since I’d rather start a collection a some point and these generics are just for training. A few macchiato, cappa, and a regular latte cup x 2. We did get the slipat muffin “tin” we wanted but man they are expensive. I guess it should last forever. I’ll let you know. Then Robin spotted the [whip cream canisters](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DD7MG/qid=1109599770/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3957808-0083802?v=glance&s=home-garden&n=507846) and we bought a 1/2 pint one. This allows for 1c of cream to be added which Bill got about 15-20 dollops out before we would have needed to refill. As any good foodie we also picked up a few odds and ends that had been on our list but forgotten. The [Sur la Table](http://www.surlatable.com) cashier reminded me to bring my business card in next time for a 15% off discount. Did she say discount? Oh I’ll never forget that bit of news.

We ran by [Teavana](http://www.teavana.com) which is a little inline tea house with no interior seating. The offer a nice little variety for tasting and a deep enough selection for most customers. We were running behind on time so we couldn’t stay and sample, but Robin and I need to go back to the mall to talk to the AT&T reps sometime soon. A menu in hand we bolted from the mall, stopping by Harris Teeter for some milk and cream and was home before anyone had arrived.

After everyone had arrived [Bill](http://www.mostlymuffins.biz) made a kind of napoleon mousse putting each beside each other in a dish and then adding bits of [whip cream](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DD7MG/qid=1109599770/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3957808-0083802?v=glance&s=home-garden&n=507846) to fill in the gaps. I manned the [Oscar](http://www.nuovasimonelliusa.com/oscar.html) churning out 10 drinks before getting to sit down and taste. What we found out was the milk chocolate mousse began to melt at room temp. The semi had a good texture and held well, while the dark was nearly chewy in its fudgyness. Due to the cocoa-butter content, or rather lack there of, in the dark and to lesser extent the semi, the recipe needs to change to accomadate for that and a little added sweetner to rebalance the taste. Otherwise, my first up front and close experience with [dagoba](http://www.dagobachocolate.com) has been a great one. Bill is ready to continue his experiments and put this stuff in a detailed creation. We look forward to it!

Everyone took their leave in succession leaving Robin and myself crumpled on the couch tired from the output of the weekend. A good time was had by all and that’s all that matters.

-a