Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Let me begin by saying, DAVID DOES NOT LET PIE GO TO WASTE.  David loves him some pie.  I mean, he loves all desserts, including pie.  This being his reality, his eyes lit up when he saw this Strawberry Rhubarb pie in Trader Joe’s this week.

Of course, he got it.  Heck, he has been working hard lately and deserves a special treat!  Only, when we served it later the same evening, it didn’t turn out to be a treat at all…

The label promised the dessert would be "mouth watering"

Here is David’s review of the pie:  “Surprisingly, I don’t like this pie.  And the CRUST is the heart of why, really.  The crust is underdone or something – it is not pleasant.  And then once you get through the crust all you have is tart rhubarb and not very strong strawberry taste.  I would like to take it back and return it, it’s that bad.  I would rather have a cherry pie instead of this, and I am not a big fan of cherry pies.  I like strawberry rhubarb pies, they remind me of when I lived in England and my friend Toby’s mom would make it.  But this pie by Trader Joe’s is not good.  I give it a 2, but those points are just because it is a PIE.”

Isn't it pretty?  Looks like something your Great Aunt would bring to the 4th of July picnic or something.

Here is what I thought of it:  “This was a beautiful pie.  It had sweet stars on the top, which gives it extra points in my book because they make the pie pretty.  😊  The colors of the strawberries and rhubarb peeking through the stars is also appealing to the eye.  I am not a “pie person”.  I would not usually choose pie from a dessert menu, but since David wanted this one, I jumped on board.  Surprisingly, I liked it.  the sweetness of the strawberries and the tartness of the rhubarb were a nice combination.  Sadly, the CRUST was underdone and sort of dough-y.  That was a turn-off.  I give it a 3.25.”

The trees are all in bloom in Washington DC!  HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!

Note:  David did not end up taking the pie back.  He wanted to, but I cut another little slice out to eat for breakfast, and it seems tacky to take a product back and say, “This tastes crappy” when there is, like, 1/3 of it already eaten.  Trader Joe’s are great about accepting returns of things you do not like, and if we get a real clunker we don’t hesitate to take it back, but we don’t want to abuse their kind return policy.

Price:  $6.99

Rating:  2.5

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 118 - Mini Pie Medley

Oh I wish I would have reviewed these Cabbage Patch Doll sized pies back when we had them this winter.  We really liked them, and they would have gotten a sweet review!

Alas, I didn’t review them then, and now I up and served them at our Trader Joe’s dinner party and they were not great.  L  The crusts were mushy and the filling just tasted like a glob of warm jam or jelly.  I made them the same exact way I did this winter – heating them (from frozen) in the oven, so I am not sure why the results were lack luster this go round.  I feel a bit guilty because I convinced a fellow Trader Joe’s shopper to buy these the other day!

Cute tiny pies

I should list the pros and cons of these little mini pies here:

Pros:

-          Perfect size for a little dessert

-          Mix of 3 flavors in one box (strawberry, blueberry, and peach) so you won’t get sick of one flavor

-          Nice sugar crystals on top

-          Easy to prepare

Cons:

-          Crusts were mushy

-          Filling was not “pie”ish but more jam/jelly-ish

-          Unsatisfying

If I were rating these myself, I guess I would give them a 3.5.  But because they were part of the dinner party spread, I will average all guests’ ratings for a final score.  But first, guest comments:

-          Sweet without being cloying – buttery crust.

-          Great yielding crust – tasty, fluffy, rich, and just the right amount of filling.  Just the right size as well.  4 – 6 small bits!

-          Supremely buttery, full of flavor, plenty peachy

-          Swarmy bland strawberry much inside a soggy pastry

-          Buttery, soft, sweet – lovely

OH!!!!!  Now that I have allowed myself to read these comments I think perhaps it was just the STRAWBERRY PIES that were not good in this box!!!  The people who had peach or blueberry really liked them!  Well, that makes me feel better.  I thought I served our guests something yucky!

Guest Joan demonstrates how adorable tiny pies can be.

Price - $4.49  (for 6 mini pies, which comes out to .75 cents per pie)

Rating (average of 6 guests’ ratings) – 3.75

Day 48 - Mini Pecan Pies

These teeny tiny bite sized pies are oh-so-yummy.  If you want a little dessert, and I do mean LITTLE dessert, here it is!!!!  The box has six tiny pies.  All you do is preheat the oven (325 degrees) and heat for around ten minutes.  The end result is delicious – flaky crusts, luscious pecan filling, and a beautiful light layer of sugar on the top. 

Wait until Autumn for these, but get other great mini pies now!

For my money these are winners.  Serving size is one pie.  That is obviously not as big of a serving as most people would normally plop on their plate, but it is just enough sweet deliciousness to satisfy your appetite after dinner.  You can add a tiny dollop of ice cream or some whipped cream – ahhhh. 

These baby sized pies would be fun to serve to guests, too. 

The good news:  they are delicious

The bad news:  they are a seasonal item and you need to wait until next Fall to get YOURS (sorry!)

The other bit of good news:  Trader Joe’s has tiny pies of OTHER FLAVORS all year long, and those are tasty, too!  So even though you cannot get these pecan gems, you can get other flavors (more reviews of other tiny pies coming).

Price - $4.49 (which works out to only 75 cents per pie!)

Rating – 4.25

Day 35 - Peach Raspberry Pie

We recently had an amaaazing store bought small pie from a grocery store in Florida named Publix.  We adored it.  And it is with that positive memory that we bought this Peach Raspberry pie tonight at Trader Joe’s.  It is a great size – 14 oz.  The flavor sounds like a delicious mix – the sweetness of peach entangled with the tanginess of raspberries.

Looks yummy!

And yet….

Oh you disappointing little pie, you.  Your crust is way too thick and floury.  Your fruit filling is bland and not at all zippy.  Your peach is peach COLOR but not peach TASTING.  And your RASPBERRIES??  Are you sure those are raspberries and not rhubarb?? Cuz they are dull, dull, dull…  And your topping – did someone just spill a box of granola on top of you??  You are nothing like a homemade pie and you make us wish for summer and fresh peaches to make our own dessert.

We won’t be buying you again.  In fact, we will be returning this one with 2 tiny slices cut out of it.  Thank goodness for Trader Joe’s awesome return policy!

Over priced and under flavored.... (and incorrect - package says 14 oz)

 Price – $4.99 (WAY TOO MUCH)

Rating – 1.5