Fairfield County- Where to buy 2lb chunks of chocolate for baking????????????

[bagelman01]

Thanksgioving is almost here and I'm stymied. Wife wants to make her Chocolate decadence cake. In previous tomes, we gcould go into Stop and Shop or big Y and there were displays of random weight blocks of dark amd milk chocolates shrinked wrapped. This was usually on a butcher block table near the deli. Wife uses about a 2 pund piece.
Checked with managers at S&S and Big Y and this item/display waas dropped in the past two years.

Bars of baking chocolate are too thin.
Not carried at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or even Munson's.

Any Clue?? Prefer upcounty if possible.........................

[dairygodmother]

Looks like you solved this... but I wanted to say I have purchased the giant thick random chocolate chunks at S&S near the deli too -- but in the past year. I used it to make chocolate covered strawberries last march. This stop & shop was in Darien and used to be a Shaw's. I am also very surprised that TJ's does not carry it -- they have made a few changes in the past few years since their corporate buyout/expansion, maybe this went with it.

Also, don't know about the cake, but large chunk chocolate is much easier to melt at the proper temperature and have it dry still shiny a.k.a. tempered.

hope it was great!

[bagelman01]

Due to an emergency, I had to be in my local (Trumbull) Stop and Shop Thanksgiving morning at 7am. (5:30 I opened our kitchen fridge to find someone had touched the controls and it was now 70 degrees F, everything had to be tossed and cooking started anew) and lo and behold in the deli was a butcher block table loaded with the chuncks of chocolate I had been seeking. Deli manager saw me and said, it came in 5:30 Wednesday evening.

[TrishUntrapped]

This may be too late for you, but I was shopping at Stew Leonard's in Danbury tonight and in their cheese department, on the counter, they had Belgian chocolate cut in large chunks like parmesean cheese.

[bagelman01]

Trish,

Thanks, it is too late, I was able to get it at Balducci's in Wesport which is closer to home than Stews in Danbury or Norwalk.

This is a good thing, as I won't spend a penny at Stew's. I still hold a grudge for his ripping consumers off and stealing all those tax dollars.

Wife baked the cakes last night and they are in the fridge ready for Thursday.

[TrishUntrapped]

I used to feel like you do Bagelman, but then I realized I would never shop at most places I do ever again, so I only do what I need to do. Glad you were successful in your quest.

[CTeater]

Completely agree re Stew's. Convicted.

[rainey]

Haven't you got Trader Joes? Their 17oz Pound Plus bars are great chocolate and the price is beyond compare.

Oops! I see you tried Trader Joes. But did you look on the shelves over the freezer cases? Or ask someone on the staff? I can't imagine they don't carry Pound Plus on the East Coast. Comes in milk, dark & bittersweet, with and without nuts.

[bagelman01]

Pound plus is too thin. Wife has tried it without sucess. I bought both the dark and the 70 % dark. Wife rejected the results.
TJs does not carry the bulk I'm talking about, I have asked in both Orange and Fairfield

[rainey]

Have you asked the manager of Whole Foods what they could get for you? They order Valhrona and break it up. It's possible they'd reserve a large block for you before or when they break it down.

Then there's always online ordering. But you'd better do that fast!

[kattyeyes]

Can't speak to Fairfield County, but Whole Foods in Glastonbury does usually carry blocks/thick bars of Valrhona in random sizes. I'm partial to the feves myself, but I've used both. Ask--I'm fairly certain there's always some Valrhona kicking around behind the cheese counter.

BTW, did you say TWO POUNDS of chocolate in this cake?! That IS decadent! MOO! ;P

[bagelman01]

If only I liked chocolate, but I do like making my wife happy. Whole Foods nearest us doesn't have this item. Or is out of it now. I don't have time to order so I'm off to Balducci's or into NYC (YUKKKK).

[sibeats]

Maybe Balducci's or Fresh Market? Does it matter how big the pieces? Won't the chocolate be melted anyway?

[bagelman01]

Fresh Market, No. I'll be stopping at Balducci's in Westport in the morning.

The size of the piece of chocolate is critical (according to wife who bakes). Thin chocolat such as candy bars or morsels don't set up the same.

I cook, don't bake much and really don't care for chocolate, so I take her word for it.

-----
Balducci's
1050 E Putnam Ave, Riverside, CT 06878

[sibeats]

I'll take her word for it too, I'm not a baker either!
Good luck at Balducci's...I'll be there in the morning too to get everything I forgot today while shopping in the madness!
Out of curiosity, are you saying Fresh Market doesn't carry it or you just won't go there?

[bagelman01]

SIL tried Fresh Market Friday with no sucess.