Call me jaded, but when I see "Chocolat En Croute," I assume it's just a gimmick. Crusty chocolate, eh? You expect us to pay $6.49 for a loaf of crusty chocolate, TJ's? I was wholly disinterested.
Fortunately, Sonia didn't see it that way, and she picked one up before we left the San Antonio area. We needed backup review items for our long journey across western Texas and southern New Mexico. There aren't any Trader Joe's between San Antonio, TX and Tucson, AZ along the I-10 corridor. That's almost 900 miles and 13 hours of driving without a TJ's. We could have taken a detour up to Albuquerque and made a TJ's run there, but that's six hours round trip off our plotted course. So we just stocked up and headed west.
So that means this box has been sliding around our little Norcold RV freezer for over a thousand miles. It was noticeably banged up, but still mostly intact. I photoshopped the worst parts of the package. Did anybody notice?
Nope? Good.
"So why review this product now?" you wonder. Well, Valentine's Day (VD) is right around the corner, and this is among the items that Trader Joe's is promoting as a VD treat. Now that I've tried it, not only will I not argue with that assertion, I'll wholeheartedly plug this dessert as an ideal gift for your sweetheart.
If your significant other is a chocolate person, but you don't want to go that same old, tired "box of chocolates" route, this is a great alternative. It's bursting with rich dark-ish chocolate taste, but it's also got flaky, buttery crust, almonds, and a delicious, creamy frangipane—reminiscent of amaretto. I don't often read the individual product write-ups on traderjoes.com because they tend to influence my opinions and scores, but I love the description of this dessert on Trader Joe's own website—particularly the line that calls it a "gorgeous, Paris-pâtisserie-worthy pastry." Couldn't have said it better myself.
It's a top-shelf quality product that's almondy, chocolatey, creamy, and bready. I'd buy it again for VD or any special occasion—or just dessert on an ordinary day. Pleasant surprise with this one. Put us down for four stars a piece.
Brie, turkey, and now chocolate. What will TJ's stick in a pastry crust next? Mango? Cookie butter? Coffee? Your guess is as good as mine.
Bottom line: 8 out of 10.
This sounds absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way...!! Unfortunately i’ll have to pass (dairy,ugh) but I’m wondering how you baked it? Is there an oven on thr Rv or you used a toaster oven? It sounds very rich and similar to a chocolate croissant just in a different shape.
ReplyDeleteTtrockwood
Yep, there's a regular oven powered by propane and the microwave doubles as a convection oven. We used the traditional oven around 350-375 degrees and for once the baking time was about what the box suggested: 45 minutes.
DeleteWould have been nice if they used hazelnut for the filling. How about Bavarian cream?
ReplyDeleteHazelnut and Bavarian cream would be great!
DeleteAlas, I went to my nearest TJs a couple days after you posted, and not only were they not pushing this for Valentines Day, but they told me it was a seasonal product whose season (early winter) had passed. Next year, I guess!
ReplyDeleteThey were pushing it recently at one of the Phoenix, AZ locations. Could be they had it left over from the winter season and were just trying to clear it out of inventory at that particular location...
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