Key Lime Pie

Full disclosure from the get-go:  I am not a key lime pie kinda girl.  I don’t know why, as far as I know key lime pie never did nuttin’ to me to make me hate it, but for some reason it is just not on my list of favorite desserts.  So I am recusing myself from reviewing it (that wouldn’t be fair, would it, to average my number in, since I know from the get-go I am not going to rave about it…).

We tried this key lime pie at our local Trader Joe’s one time when they were tasting it.  I thought it was good as far as key lime pie goes (see paragraph above…) but David really liked it.  Sadly, it is just the 2 of us at home, so unless it is a product we both like, it normally doesn’t get bought (which is the reason I forego okra and David foregoes lamb…). 

David hit the jackpot when my sisters came to visit us in Florida, though, cuz it turns out they like key lime pie!  And while I was out of town on a work trip and he was in Orlando picking them up from the airport, they swung by Trader Joe’s Winter Park and got a bunch of goodies, including one of these pies.  They “prepared” it by just taking it out of the freezer for a bit.  I would say that is easy peasey key lime squeezy! 

Oops - I forgot to snap a photo before the pie had basically been devoured...

 Here are the reviews:

Annette (my middle sister):  When I asked, “Annette, what do you think??” she replied, “I think I would like to have another piece, please!!  It is absolutely delicious.  It is probably the first time I’ve ever had key lime pie.  I love it!  The graham cracker crust is sooo yummy.  It is delicious!   Just when it gets a little too sour, that graham cracker crust kicks in. I give it a solid 5 stars.”

Two thumbs up from Annette!!!  :)

David:  “I agree with Annette.  I think it is a GREAT version of key lime pie!  It is sweet, it is tangy, it is sassy (editor’s note:  he likes his key lime pie like he likes his women…).  It is set up and laid out perfectly by the graham cracker crust.  It is a great balance – a great double act – at work.  I don’t usually go for key lime pie or lemon meringue (its down-market cousin…).  I agree with Annette – I give it a 5.”

The intrepid team of reviewers!!!  

Sherry (my oldest sister):  (When we started reviewing this pie I asked Sherry if she had tasted it yet so that she could form an opinion to review it.  She had to confess that she had indeed been eating a little bit of it every morning before going off to the beach for her solo walks!!  Sneaky sister!)  “I have always loved key lime pie, but I only get it when I am in Florida, where key limes are from.  I never really ate it until I lived in Florida.  I think this Trader Joe’s version is very good.  It is tart, it is a little sweet, it is not messy to eat.  I would give it a 5, but I like key lime pies.”

Bonus photos:  We worked hard to get a good JUMPING photo of all 3 sisters on the beach.  These are what I consider 2 very funny outtakes.  In photo one, Sherry is sailing in the air, eyes closed in concentration.  Me?  I am smiling ear to ear and am actually off the ground!  Annette??  Oh, she is in the middle - CRACKING UP.  Annette, you can't JUMP if you are LAUGHING!!

And here in outtake #2, again, the oldest and youngest sisters have followed instruction and jumped together.  Sherry is somber again, perhaps she cannot smile and jump at the same time...  And Annette, the middle child, looks like she is squeezing every muscle she has (including her eye muscles) to get off the ground.

Honestly, there are much better jumping photos of the sisters, but these 2 crack me up.  :)

There you have it, folks.  This pie gets a solid 5!!  You should definitely get one to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Price:  $5.49

Rating:  5

BONUS PHOTO - CHECK THIS ONE OUT!  Annette is getting some serious AIR!  Sherry, too!  I, meanwhile, have my feet firmly planted on the ground...  #TimingIsEverythingInLife

Peaches and Cream Tarte

This is a new seasonal product.  We picked it up at Trader Joe’s the other day when we were invited over to our in-laws for a cook out and were tasked to bring DESSERT.  Let me just say, the last time I had that assignment with this same group of people I failed MISERABLY, and I have not recounted that dreadful experience here yet, but I will!  But for now, let’s focus on the positive – PEACHES AND CREAM TARTE!  (As with all TJ's tarts, the "e" on the end makes it fancy!)

Here's the box, doesn't it look tasty?

We cooked this dessert for 30 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.  There is also a microwave option listed on the box, but we haven’t tried that yet.  Here is what the reviewers thought of this treat:

David’s opinion (Note: David topped his peaches and cream tarte with vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream): “The tarte crust, as with all Trader Joe’s tartes, is really good.  The peaches are delicious.  There is something else goin’ on here, and I am not sure everyone else is gonna like this…  there is a little hint of some kind of a creamy thing going on here.  There is a yogurt-y, cream cheese-y thing goin’ on that is different than your straight American sweet fruit pie.  I think it is a valuable addition to the overall palate of pie land.  I am gonna give it a 4.5.”

David before we even tried it - you can tell he expected good things...

Greg (David’s brother, and if you follow this blog and have seen any of his other reviews you will know he is a very harsh judge of food) (Greg also topped his peaches and cream tart with vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream):  “This was very, very, very good.  Really the best, ever, in the history of the world.  Big-ly (big league) (you may be able to guess what voice Greg was impersonating…).  It has a lovely balance of sour and very sweet.  I didn’t detect the underlying creaminess – it seemed to be just the fruit which I was delighted with, because I liked the fruit.  The crust was superb; crispy but not hard, and delicate.  I would give it a 4.5.  It was great!”

Here is what it looked like out of the box

My opinion:  “I ate half of my piece of the TJ’s tarte, then remembered that we had just picked a bunch of fresh blueberries out of Greg and Joan’s backyard, so I put some of those in with my dessert!  The blueberries were amazing with it because they were tart and were a perfect blend with the sweetness of the peaches.  I think this dessert is really good.  I love the crust!  At first, I thought it was a little too “jam-y” instead of just peachy – the first bite seemed more like pie filling than fruit.  But it only took one more bit for me to get over that issue – I like this tarte very much!  Plus, if you have leftovers I think they would taste amazing for breakfast the next morning.   I also give it a 4.5.”

Chris’ opinion (our college age nephew):  “I agree with most of what has been said.  But unlike most of the other reviewers (the old geezers), I would say the crust was a bit lacking.  I thought it could have had more flavor.  It could have added more to the dish.  (Editor’s note: At this point I felt I HAD to shout the term “snowflake” repeatedly at Chris.  He needed to be brought down a peg.  I mean, the crust on this tarte is amazing!  He was totally wrong in his assessment… 😊 )  I did really like the fruit, and the Haagen Dazs ice cream added a lot, but I think the crust could have been a little bit better.  I would give this a 3.5.”

Here is Chris.  He is a lousy judge of crust.  I mean, he is a good KID and all,
but he wouldn't know a good crust if it bit him in the butt...

Joan (our sister-in-law, also typically a very stern reviewer of food in this blog): “I give this a 4.75.  This is a delightful dessert.  It is very yummy.  I had mine with ice cream and blueberries, I am not sure I would like it quite as much alone since I like complexity of flavors.  However, I thought this was terrific.  The only thing better is my mom’s pie!  But, you have to make the crust and peel the peaches for that, which is a lot of work.  This dessert is a great thing to bring to any summer BBQ you are attending.”

This is a photo of a bird that attended the BBQ.  Isn't he pretty?

There you have it folks!  This one is a winner!!  In fact, now that I have written this up my mouth is watering and wishing that I had one of these tartes to dive into…  Alas, we are 90 minutes away from the closest Trader Joe’s.  Sigh.  Oh well, David is going to be in the TJ’s neighborhood in just a few days and I am making a shopping list for him.  Guess I better add “Peaches and Cream Tarte” to the list!

Price:  $4.99 (CHEAP and well worth the price)

Rating (average of 5 reviewers): 4.5

Day 286 - Mini Pumpkin Pies

This pie is so tasty that when I dropped a piece of mine on the floor, I picked it up and popped it in my mouth (note:  it did qualify for the 5 second rule…).  This was our first PUMPKIN flavored thing of this Trader Joe’s PUMPKIN SEASON (seriously, TJ’s goes insane this time of year and makes every single item available in pumpkin flavor – pumpkin this and pumpkin that…)

Here are boxes of these cutie patootie little pies still in the freezer section at Trader Joe's

 The on these pies crust is nice.  It has little sugar crystals on it.  Trader Joe’s has different varieties of “mini pies” and they all seem to have the same crust. (see the review of the Mini Pie Medley here and see the review of the seasonal Mini Pecan Pies here ).  I think the crust is a great match for this pumpkin filling.  We ate these little pies for dessert and paired them with a Vin de Bordeaux from TJ’s.

Here is a San Pellegrino lid next to a pie to show the size

The wine we paired these with

These pies taste like a little tiny taste of Thanksgiving.  J  They are not really BARBIE sized – Cabbage Patch size is more accurate.  I made one for each of us for dessert but David (who normally doesn’t like pumpkin things) snuck back into the kitchen and heated up a second one for himself.  We also had them for BREAKFAST Saturday morning.  Cuz what the hell – it’s the WEEKEND, life is short – eat pie for breakfast right??

This would be a good dessert to serve if you were having an autumn dinner party and had a little platter of various desserts.  We ate ours warm and did not add ice cream or whipped cream on top, we just ate them naked. 

David says, “I like these, too.  The best part about it is the crust which is delicious and soft and nice.  The filling is pumpkin, so if you are a fan of pumpkin pie (which I am not terribly…) you will like this.  I think a crust this nice should be graced with some fruit filling, but if I have to have pumpkin pie, then give me pumpkin pie with lots of good CRUST like this has!”

Hmm David, this is pie number 2 for you...  You don't look like you are disliking this pumpkin...

I think part of the reason this pie works well is that it has some crust on TOP.  Normally pumpkin pie (in my experience) has a bottom crust, then a huge ass can of pumpkin…  This results in way more PUMPKIN than crust.  But these little TJ’s pies balance the pumpkin to crust ratio better.  David agrees with that.  He loves this crust. 

Reasonably priced little treats

If you are only going to invest in one pumpkin item this year from Trader Joe’s – this one would be worthy.  And if you didn’t read yesterday’s review of PUMPKIN BODY BUTTER, you probably should… 

Price – $3.99

Rating – 4.25