Creature Comforts and Cozy Nights with Crust Club

By midwinter, when it’s still cold outside but the holidays are over, I often find myself simultaneously a little less inclined to go out and kind of “cooked out” from the holiday festivities. It’s during times like these when delivery food services are especially appealing, and having a local establishment with their own delivery system is even more exciting. Enter Crust Club, a meal service that brings locally made dinners, pies and desserts right to your front door.

Crust Club provides easy meals that can be cooked immediately, or frozen, to use whenever you need, and I was excited to try out this service. While making my order, I decided to choose a couple simple meals and a dessert to take some cooking off my plate over the course of a week. The ordering process was simple, and the meals came in an insulated package ready to be stored in the fridge or freezer, or eaten immediately.

One thing I love about this service is that they offer a recycling program where you can leave the packaging from your last order on your porch when your next order comes, and they will take care of the recycling for you. If you’re close to Pleasant Grove, you can also drop the packaging off at their location, which is nice if—like me—you tend to forget and might end up with a growing pile of packaging on your entryway table.

“The Funeral Pot Pie made for a great experience of the traditional Utah funeral-meal flavors without the accompanying sadness that the funeral itself brings.”

I was intrigued by the dinner pies and meal kits and decided to get one of each. Having a pie to throw in the oven, or a simple meal kit with all the ingredients in one package without the hassle of planning out a big meal, makes my life easier and lets me feel productive without having to do too much actual work.

The dinner pie I chose was the Funeral Pot Pie, which comes in at $20 for four servings or $25 for six. It promised to be a tasty feast with ham, funeral potatoes and green beans all in one flaky bite. It came frozen and with simple instructions to bake before eating. Crust Club also includes instructions on their website, so if you lose yours you can still get it cooked the proper way. The pot pie had a flaky crust that held in the creamy interior. I loved the contrast of textures that is often missing in dinner pies, though I did find that the honey ham made for a little bit sweeter of a bite than I prefer. Overall, the Funeral Pot Pie made for a great experience of the traditional Utah funeral-meal flavors without the accompanying sadness that the funeral itself brings.

I also got the Homemade 3-Cheese Mac kit, which is $10 for four servings. It’s advertised as a side, but I decided to see what it could do as a meal and supplement with leftovers from earlier in the week. The kit came in a foil container with noodles, butter and cheese and instructions to complete the meal from start to finish. The process is simple and only uses one pan to boil water and cook the pasta, which you then strain and add the cheese and butter until it melts. The result is a pretty creamy mac and cheese with a good balance of salty and tart. This easy meal takes about as long as the Kraft version to make but definitely delivers a cheesier and more delicious experience.

“The delivery service adds a level of convenience that makes these meals especially tempting.”

To finish things off, I ordered the Tres Leches Babies ($16 for a half dozen). They come ready to eat straight out of the fridge and require no cooking. I was impatient and, rather than saving them for actual dessert, ate one almost immediately upon their arrival. Though they don’t require heating, I was feeling adventurous and popped them in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees. This warmed the crust but left the creamy filling a little cool and made for a nice balance. The crust was flaky and slightly crispy on the edges while the inner custard was soft and sweet with just a hint of tartness at the end. I found them to be a delightful little treat, but rich enough that I ate mine one half at a time. The crimping was cute but a little loose, so some of the filling came out of the edges when I ate—but I don’t mind a little mess with my dessert. Altogether, these hand pies were delicious and fun, and I am excited to taste more of the flavors.

Crust Club offers a great chance to incorporate home-cooked meals into your week without having to do much home cooking. The delivery service adds a level of convenience that makes these meals especially tempting. Next time you are looking to upgrade your dinner plans, check out Crust Club for a home-delivered meal that will bring warmth and comfort into your winter evening.