63 replies to this topic

[JAZ]

They're about 8 by 9 inches.

[foodie3]

i love this pastry!
i am trying to figure out how to get a 12'' circle for a tart tatin - can i roll it out thinner or somehow combine the two sheets?

[chezcherie]

i've rolled it thinner. it won't puff as much, but that's okay for a tart tatin, anyhow!

[Priscilla]

What a fabulous product... JGarner's lovely tart pictured on the package duly noted.

I deckled the edges and used it as a top over chicken and sauteed mushrooms in a sauce of chicken stock and cream. A little egg wash for shine, wonderful puff and flavor.

A boon. Reminds me in a very good way of the Olden Days of Trader Joe's.

[etalanian]

I looked for it in the Jenkintown Trader Joe's yesterday and couldn't find it. Is it being discontinued? Does anyone have any information about it?

Thanks,

Eileen

[tsquare]

Is this the same stuff (and maker) of the pain au chocolat? Oh my goodness (even if they are labeled Chocolate Croissants.)

[mukki]

Is this the same stuff (and maker) of the pain au chocolat? Oh my goodness (even if they are labeled Chocolate Croissants.)

I believe that chocolate croissants are made by Galaxy Desserts, maker of the Williams Sonoma croissants. (Puff pastry is made by Bay Bread.) The croissants are quite good -- wish they'd carry the plain, though.

By the way, the chocolate croissants from WS are $39.95 for 15, plus the cost of overnight shipping, but only $4 for a box of 4 at TJs.

Edited by mukki, 09 December 2007 - 08:36 PM.

[cajungirl]

Well, this is the last thing my chubby butt needed to know, but I'm on my way to TJ's... Guess I can work it off after the holidays

[MelissaH]

We finally had the opportunity to use some over Thanksgiving. (We live a six-hour drive from the nearest TJ's, and nothing frozen would be frozen still by the time it got home. Ah, the joys of a station wagon!)

We baked it blind, and heaped slow-cooked onions over the top. Delicious.

MelissaH

[fooey]

I decided to try Trader Joe's Artisan Puff Pastry by making a Pithiviers with it.

If you're interested, were discussing Pithiviers here: http://forums.egulle...howtopic=103374

Verdict: It works in pinch for appetizers (such as those suggested on the box), but if you're making speciality pastries (like Pithiviers), I would avoid it for several reasons:

1. The size of the sheets is just too small, limiting your range.

2. There are fork holes in the pastry, which I assume are made to stop shrinkage; but, if you have to flour the surface for rolling, the flour gets into the holes and stays there.

3. The flavour is, for lack of a better term, "off". It's supposed to be all-butter puff pastry and, indeed, that's what it says on the box. It smells like butter too, but the taste is just off. It's a flavour I associate with shortening or oil, but there's no mention of shortening in the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS (as listed on box): Wheat flour, Butter (milk), Salt, Sugar, Water.

4. The puff pastry's "puff performance" is just OK, nothing impressive. As you can see from the images on the box (which are accurate) and the ones I post below, it puffs well enough, but no where near as much as one might expect. It could be the number of pastry "turns" or some other reason, but if you're expecting it to behave like homemade puff pastry with substantial puff, this won't do it for you. Caveat: I rolled the sheets to 12 x 12; had I not rolled the sheets of pastry, it's puff could/may have have been more substantial. When I have more time, I will try making a mini-Pithiviers and NOT roll the dough, just to see if it puffs more.

BUT! IT COSTS $5. I can nit pick it until it melts, but it still costs $5 and takes zero time to make.

Here are some pictures.

You can see the anti-shrinkage holes (and how they picked up the flour) in this photo.



Rolled out to about 12 x 12.

[Mottmott]

I looked for it in the Jenkintown Trader Joe's yesterday and couldn't find it. Is it being discontinued? Does anyone have any information about it?

Thanks,

Eileen

Check with them again, I checked center city before going there today to make sure it's in the store. It's there.

[plafield]

I just made a treck to the nearest TJ and bought the last 3 packages. I can't wait to try it! Making puff is way too much work for me and it never turns out quite right so I'm psyched about this product. I'm going against the advice here and I'm going to try a pithivier for Chistmas. I'll let you know how it turns out!

[Patapsco Mike]

FWIW my wife and kids freak out over this stuff. I just cut the whole thing into triangles. I put a lump of brie onto one- then another goes on top. Use a fork to seal the edges, and brush with egg wash. A few minutes in the oven and it's ready. I've yet to have one make it to room temperature before it's devoured.

[plafield]

I used the TJ puff paste to make a pithivier and it was OK but not great. I had to roll the pastry out pretty thin to get it big enough to hold the almond cream and then it started to burn on the botom before it was cooked all the way through. Not great.

But it was fabulous to wrap around a wheel of good brie covered with homemade cherry preserves. I baked it for an hour on one of those "air pocket" cookie sheets so it didn't burn on the bottom and cooked all the way through. It looked gorgeous and was delicious. If I knew how to post a picture I'd share it with you all! But I can't figure out how to post a pic!

[plafield]

I used the TJ puff paste to make a pithivier and it was OK but not great. I had to roll the pastry out pretty thin to get it big enough to hold the almond cream and then it started to burn on the botom before it was cooked all the way through. Not great.

But it was fabulous to wrap around a wheel of good brie covered with homemade cherry preserves. I baked it for an hour on one of those "air pocket" cookie sheets so it didn't burn on the bottom and cooked all the way through. It looked gorgeous and was delicious. If I knew how to post a picture I'd share it with you all! But I can't figure out how to post a pic!

OK here's a pic

[tsquare]

Now they are stocking Canneles! Anyone know if these are from Bay Breads, Galaxy Desserts, or? They are beeswaxed, crisp, and creamy. Oh my.

And to stay on topic - I used the puff pastry to make cheese straws with black pepper and aged cheddar - inhaled quickly.

Edited by tsquare, 16 August 2008 - 11:25 AM.

[jgarner53]

Gah, really? I left Bay Bread last month (and there was no word about making cannele for TJ's then). If so, that would be a production nightmare!

(I am now at Tartine Bakery, still in SF).

[oli]

I enjoyed the pastry, but would not buy it again, mainly because it was so, oily or greasy. Maybe, that's the way its supposed to be, but that my $.02.

[tsquare]

Gah, really? I left Bay Bread last month (and there was no word about making cannele for TJ's then). If so, that would be a production nightmare!

(I am now at Tartine Bakery, still in SF).

Congratulations, yes?
The sign for canneles was still on the freezer case, but no product last week. Stockers said they hadn't seen them for a while. Just as well, I suppose.

[chezcherie]

i saw them yesterday is So CA.

[jgarner53]

I saw the canneles last week at my TJ's, but not by Sunday afternoon when I went to pick some up with the weekly groceries. They must have been out.

From the picture on the box, I can tell you one thing almost for sure. The canneles on the box were baked in a silicone flexipan, NOT a copper mold. We DID test flexipans at Bay Bread this spring. I personally thought they were awful, especially because we were not waxing them, just pan spray. The edges of the flutes came out too sharp, and they actually took way longer to bake than the copper molds.

I still want to taste the TJ's canneles, though to see how they are. Just have to wait for them to be back in stock. I doubt anything will compare, though, to getting a fresh one right after the bake at work.

[Marmish]

Is there any verdict yet on the TJ canneles? I saw them in the freezer case last week.

[tsquare]

Is there any verdict yet on the TJ canneles?  I saw them in the freezer case last week.

They are quite creamy inside and toasted on the outside. While they don't compare with the best I have had fresh, they are better than the worst I have had from a bakery. I like to keep a box on hand for desperate cravings. The price is pretty good too.

[Marmish]

Is there any verdict yet on the TJ canneles?  I saw them in the freezer case last week.

They are quite creamy inside and toasted on the outside. While they don't compare with the best I have had fresh, they are better than the worst I have had from a bakery. I like to keep a box on hand for desperate cravings. The price is pretty good too.

Thanks. I think we'll pick some up.

[Pierogi]

Is there any verdict yet on the TJ canneles?  I saw them in the freezer case last week.

They are quite creamy inside and toasted on the outside. While they don't compare with the best I have had fresh, they are better than the worst I have had from a bakery. I like to keep a box on hand for desperate cravings. The price is pretty good too.

Thanks. I think we'll pick some up.

Having never had the real thing (and never even knowing such lovelies existed before jgarner53 wrote about them), I have to say I like TJ's version. I do realize they're probably not the best ever, but they are good, at least to my uneducated palate. I'm on my 3rd box...

[Marmish]

Is there any verdict yet on the TJ canneles?  I saw them in the freezer case last week.

They are quite creamy inside and toasted on the outside. While they don't compare with the best I have had fresh, they are better than the worst I have had from a bakery. I like to keep a box on hand for desperate cravings. The price is pretty good too.

Thanks. I think we'll pick some up.

Having never had the real thing (and never even knowing such lovelies existed before jgarner53 wrote about them), I have to say I like TJ's version. I do realize they're probably not the best ever, but they are good, at least to my uneducated palate. I'm on my 3rd box...

That's where I learned about them, too! And my friend mentioned them last week. I wonder if I can get good fresh ones in Chicago anywhere?

[dans]

We've used TJ's Puff Pastry for a while now. It is certainly quite easy to use, no unfolding, rolling, docking, etc. and inexpensive to boot. The problem is I can't find it anymore. I went o the local store and the stock clerk said they had run out of "last years" supply and they didn't know if they were getting any for this year.

Now, once I got past the shock of learning I was using a frozen product with almost a year of age on it, I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to find it any more.

Anyone know if this is true?

Dan

[Dave the Cook]

At one of the stores here (Atlanta), we couldn't find it -- after preaching about it to our students, of course. The clerk at the information counter said "We're not carrying it anymore." I don't know if that's a chain-wide decision or not, but subsequent searches at other TJs in the city also came up puffless.

[Marmish]

I haven't been able to get it in quite awhile. They told me it might be back for the holidays, but I haven't seen it.

[MelissaH]

We have some precious stash in our freezer. But a recent trip to Wegman's (a "little" Wegman's, no less) had some Wegman's brand puff pastry in the freezer section. I read the ingredients, and it seems to be all-butter. I hope it's here to stay and not just a seasonal thing.

MelissaH