Trader Jacque’s Vanilla Eclairs with Chocolate Fondant

I love eclairs. Trader Joe’s had a great deal on Vanilla Eclairs with Chocolate Fondant for $2.99. Each box contains 4 eclairs.

Make sure you allow enough time for the eclairs to defrost sufficiently. The box suggests defrosting at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour or in the refrigerator overnight. After defrosting at room temperature for 30 minutes, the filling was still a little frozen (but still tasty)… I would recommend at least 1 hour to an 1 hour 30 minutes if you want to defrost at room temperature.

However, it seemed to defrost the best when left in the refrigerator overnight.

30 min at room temp

90 min at room temp

refrigerated overnight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These eclairs have a perfect balance of chocolate fondant, choux pastry, and vanilla cream filling. The pastry is light and airy, and the subtle vanilla flavored cream is sweet but not too sweet. Although I prefer to have fresh eclairs, (the texture of the cream feels defrosted, rather than fresh), they are still a great buy for $2.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trader Joe’s Pear & Persimmon Tarte

I’ve heard great things about Trader Joe’s Pear & Persimmon Tarte and I was curious to try it. On a recent Trader Joe’s visit it was discounted from $3.99 to $1.99, so I had to get it.

It is pretty easy to prepare. Just let it defrost for about an hour at room temperature (or maybe a little more), then bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.

slightly bigger than the size of my hand

This tarte is delicious, and such a steal for $1.99 (I have a feeling it won’t last in the stores long!). The crust is wonderful – it is my favorite crust out of the pies/tartes I’ve tried from Trader Joe’s so far. They taste like shortbread cookies – crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. The sprinkle of granulated sugar on top is a nice touch.

I also really like the filling. It doesn’t really taste like persimmon…it tastes more like peach-apricot, but it’s still tasty. There are some pear pieces in the filling, but not as big as in the picture on the package. The fruit filling is complimented well by the subtle frangipane (almond paste) underneath it.

inside view

Overall, this tarte kind of reminds me of a bigger, fancier version of thumbprint cookies. I loved thumbprint cookies as a kid, but rarely had them. This dessert is also sweet, but not too sweet…it is perfect when warm and would pair nicely with a hot cup of tea 🙂

 

 

Trader Joe’s Chocolate Pecan Pudding Pie

I had been eyeing Trader Joe’s Chocolate Pudding Pie since I first spotted it this fall, and I finally decided to get it for a New Year’s treat. The person at the check-out counter gave it a raving review, so I was super excited to try it. Recently, I tried the Fruitcake BAR and it had become a favorite holiday treat and I wasn’t sure if anything could beat it 😛

The pie is “fully baked,” so all you have to do is remove it from the box and leave it in the fridge for 1.5 to 2 hours. I let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours because it has been unseasonably cold in Florida and it feels like a refrigerator in my house 😛

The box has a picture of a beautiful, luscious, decadent chocolate pie covered with a bounty of pecans on top. When I first took the pie out of the package, I was a little disappointed…”where are the pecans??” After I cut into the pie, I noticed that the pecans were inside the pie.

view from the side

The pie tastes like a  rich chocolatey, super gooey fudgey brownie. The consistency is creamy and velvety – kind of like an extra thick chocolate pudding. It almost reminds me of the chocolate caramel from Lake Champlain Chocolate Caramel Five Star Bar. The saltiness of the flaky crust compliments the sweet chocolate filling. Since it is very sweet, I like this pie with a cup of hot tea. The Fruitcake BAR is still my favorite 🙂