2 questions about Trader Joe's pumpkin pie
November 23, 2024 10:28 AM Subscribe
1: They sell a frozen pumpkin pie and also a fresh one. Do you have thoughts about which is better? (Caveat: If I buy a fresh one, I'll likely do it on Monday and pop it into the freezer until Thursday.)
2: How can I make a store-bought pie look prettier? I know about whipped cream, but what else? I know I'm going to hate that disposable pie tin, so how can I pretty it up?
If you're going to freeze it anyway, I'd just get the frozen one to start.
A drizzle of sauce would make it look fancier. Caramel, maybe? Nuts would also add some visual interest and - you could do a pattern with nut halves or a generous overall sprinkle of chopped nuts.
If it's a flimsy tin and a sturdy pie and you've got a decent pair of scissors, you might be able to cut the edge of the tin and gently pull it away from the pie to get the pie out intact
Or put the whole thing on a large plate and put cookies around it to hide the tin (and endear yourself to people like me who'd rather eat just about anything other than pumpkin pie).
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:10 PM on November 23, 2024
A drizzle of sauce would make it look fancier. Caramel, maybe? Nuts would also add some visual interest and - you could do a pattern with nut halves or a generous overall sprinkle of chopped nuts.
If it's a flimsy tin and a sturdy pie and you've got a decent pair of scissors, you might be able to cut the edge of the tin and gently pull it away from the pie to get the pie out intact
Or put the whole thing on a large plate and put cookies around it to hide the tin (and endear yourself to people like me who'd rather eat just about anything other than pumpkin pie).
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:10 PM on November 23, 2024
Agreed that you can probably free it of the tin, especially while it's frozen.
I would maybe buy some caramel sauce (Ghirardelli makes a pretty good one that's available in stores like Target) and try a simple design (straight lines dragged across with a toothpick or a little spiral web design).
If you want to go the canned whipped cream route, I would do this just before serving if possible: big swirls inside the edge of the crust, maybe sprinkle with chopped nuts or sprinkles.
posted by rachaelfaith at 3:30 PM on November 23, 2024
I would maybe buy some caramel sauce (Ghirardelli makes a pretty good one that's available in stores like Target) and try a simple design (straight lines dragged across with a toothpick or a little spiral web design).
If you want to go the canned whipped cream route, I would do this just before serving if possible: big swirls inside the edge of the crust, maybe sprinkle with chopped nuts or sprinkles.
posted by rachaelfaith at 3:30 PM on November 23, 2024
Caramel sauce may or may not show up on a pumpkin-coloured pie, but would be nice to have on the side.
I'd do sugared cranberries for pleasing colour contrast. Maybe also sugar some sage or mint leaves.
Instead of canned whipped cream, whip your own with a dash of vanilla and/or a little Amaretto. It's less pretty but tastes SO MUCH BETTER. You can scoop it with an ice cream scoop or a melon baller to make it look nice, but spooning it is also fine. Mix some cinnamon with a small amount of nutmeg and and sprinkle lightly over the cream.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:20 PM on November 23, 2024 [5 favorites]
I'd do sugared cranberries for pleasing colour contrast. Maybe also sugar some sage or mint leaves.
Instead of canned whipped cream, whip your own with a dash of vanilla and/or a little Amaretto. It's less pretty but tastes SO MUCH BETTER. You can scoop it with an ice cream scoop or a melon baller to make it look nice, but spooning it is also fine. Mix some cinnamon with a small amount of nutmeg and and sprinkle lightly over the cream.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:20 PM on November 23, 2024 [5 favorites]
I made those sugared cranberries last year at Christmas and someone asked me for the recipe last week, they really stand out!
posted by lepus at 6:04 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by lepus at 6:04 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
I agree that that sugared cranberries recipe is delightful.
posted by samthemander at 7:18 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by samthemander at 7:18 PM on November 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: What happened was I went to Trader Joe's and took the last fresh pumpkin pie + a frozen pumpkin cheesecake. My big decoration plans kinda went out the window when I got too busy, but at the last minute I stuck some small flowers in the middle of the fresh one, and then put some leftover greenery from my flower arranging around the other one. Honestly, both were very pretty, and they both tasted fine. I'm not going to say they rivaled homemade, but they were fine.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:30 PM on November 28, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:30 PM on November 28, 2024 [1 favorite]
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cookies on top, or a cookie crumble...sprinkles ✨
posted by HearHere at 12:29 PM on November 23, 2024