My lovely bride and I say often we go on vacation to eat, and while mostly somewhat true, we have to attack our food game plan strategically. I mean, we only have so many dollars, and God knows enough kids, and trying to keep everyone more or less happy away from the familiarities of home is challenging at times...or often when it's 100 degrees in Washington DC like it was last week when we went...but anyways.
So, yes, we enjoy going out and checking different restaurants and bakeries and whatnots, but usually stop at a TJ's for some staples and easy treats, so while something like Trader Joe's Iced Raspberry and Cream Cheese Danish Strip would never make into our cart at home, it will when it means an easy, relaxing morning at the AirBnB. It had a pool...and chickens too! Sounds better than wandering and sweating aimlessly around the National Mall.
Nah. The whole shebang is a bit thicker than I thought it'd be, so that's a good start - nobody likes a flimsy Danish. The crust itself is thick and layered and buttery and appropriately bready and flaky where needed, but all that needs more filling to balance out. here's where it falls short - not quite enough raspberry or cream cheese. Maybe 50% more of each would be perfect, so it's not like a smidge off. And it's a shame, because both those components are quite tasty - the jam is nice, sugary and tart, while the cream cheese is cool and creamy, and work well together as one would expect. All that icing atop is a good touch - maybe a touch less would be fine, but it's not worth making a fuss over as is.
Bottom line: Trader Joe's Iced Raspberry and Cream Cheese Danish Strip: 6 out of 10 Golden Spoons
p.s. - Unrelated to this post, I finally saw and bought a bottle of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter Beer while away....never drank it....and accidentally left it in the fridge at the AirBnB. TJ's doesn't sell alcohol in my home state of PA. If anyone can somehow help me get a bottle please let me know - I really want to try one!
Perhaps the Raspberry/Cream Cheese Kringle would have been a better choice? That said, if you picked the Cookie Butter Beer up from the TJ's in Georgetown/West End, near GW University, I would be happy to pick you up a few. My husband and I go to Pennsylvania every weekend for ice cream (each county in PA and MD has ice cream trails that we sample throughout the summer). We can make a trade for Snyder's of Berlin Caramel Corn or Tom Sturgis Chocolate Covered Pretzels and/or Brittle Bark. (FYI, we live outside of DC in MD, also in a no-alcohol-Trader Joe's area). Darn those Blue Laws.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even see a kringle! We went to the Foggy Bottom and Falls Church stores, and both had the beer. We could snack trade, but are in Pittsburgh, so we could send you fries on a salad ;) (Kidding)
DeleteOhhhh fries on salads! How I miss living in PA for that reason (and Sheetz...)!
DeleteWe just did a pierogi road trip to Pittsburgh ...if we had only known we would have brought them. Perhaps, maybe a peperoni bread from Mancini's or a bacon baguette aux lardons from La Gourmandine Bakery. We can make a trade half way between the both of us?
ReplyDeleteWe have a really great perogi place right in our neighborhood. We could probably do a halfway meet up this fall.
DeleteMost definitely! Just email me. I believe that when I post a comment, I provided an email address.
ReplyDelete