The Dessert Tray, located in Beaverton, Oregon, is more of a cake specialist, but I noticed that they offer a few pies, including Marionberry-Rosewater, Key-Lime and Coconut Cream. They’ve been around for as long as I can remember, so I figured they have something to offer.
The Marionberry-Rosewater sounded interesting, as it gives a bit of a different twist on a Northwest classic. It was also Rose Festival time in Portland, so this was a perfect “City of Roses” pie.
However, when I went in and ordered the pie, they said “it’s frozen, so you’ll need to come back in 3 hours”. This alarmed me, of course, as frozen isn’t usually a good sign.
Nonetheless, this pie didn’t disappoint. The presentation was definitely up to par, nothing spectacular, but it sliced nicely and held up well.
The crust was really nice, good thickness and very flavorful. It was more of a shortcrust style, which I’m not always fond of, but it worked. They also sprinkled some sugar on top, which I always support.
The filling was solid as well, good berries and not runny at all. The touch of rosewater added a floral and aromatic touch.
The best part about this pie, though, was its durability. It was frozen and then defrosted by the Dessert Tray, then we ate a few pieces and it sat in the refrigerator for close to a week and it was still in great shape. And, you could literally pick up a slice of this pie and eat it with your hands (if you were so inclined).
It was hardy, so hardy in fact, I could have easily packed it for lunch in a sandwich bag. In my mind, that’s the way pie was meant to be, because, as you know, pie was the original lunchpail.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 slices. I was thinking 3.5, but this is by far the most durable pie I’ve seen so far, so I give it another half slice for that.
