Alex Stupak
Pastry Chef
wd~50
50 Clinton Steet
New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-2900

About Alex Stupak
Alex Stupak is the pastry chef of wd~50. After attending the Culinary Institute of America, he worked in several notable restaurants, including Tru in Chicago and the Federalist and Clio, both in Boston. He was the pastry chef at Chicago's much-praised Alinea where he worked with Chef Grant Achatz from the restaurant's opening in May of 2005 until he joined wd~50 in August of 2006.

Alex has garnered much praise for his desserts, which display a bold yet perfectly considered approach to flavor while utilizing many of the cutting-edge techniques associated with molecular gastronomy.

In 2008, he won Iron Chef's chocolate challenge on the Food Network and was named one of Pastry Art & Design's Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America.

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RECIPE

PASSION FRUIT "TART,"
SESAME, ARGAN OIL, MERINGUE
Serves 10

Tahini Fluid Gel

750 grams water
8 grams agar agar
750 grams tahini
100 grams brown sugar
5 grams salt

In a saucepan, bring water and agar agar and bring to a boil. Transfer to a blender and mix at high speed. Add remaining ingredients and blend until homogenized. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer and cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate for one hour. Return mixture to a blender and puree until very smooth. Strain and reserve.

Assembly of “Tart” Shell

Tahini Fluid Gel
10 (1/2-inch x 9-inch) acetate strips
10 (3-inch x 3-inch) acetate squares
Scotch tape

Transfer tahini fluid gel to a small piping bag. Apply a 1/4-inch thick layer on each piece of acetate. Using an offset spatula, spread fluid gel to cover the surface evenly. Join the ends of each strip together to form a ring and secure in place with a piece of tape. Place the ring on top of an acetate square, pressing down gently to form the sides and bottom of the false tart shell. Transfer to a Silpat-lined sheet pan and freeze.

Passion Fruit Curd

120 grams passion fruit juice
15 grams yuzu juice
135 grams eggs
130 grams sugar
175 grams unsalted butter, cubed

In a saucepan, bring passion fruit and yuzu juices to a boil. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Temper hot liquid into egg mixture and return to the saucepan. Reduce heat and cook, stirring continuously, until mixture returns to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to 140°F. Transfer to a blender. Mix on low speed, adding butter gradually, until homogenized. Transfer mixture to a sauce funnel and dispense into each of the frozen “tart” shells. Freeze for 6 hours.

Meringue

190 grams sugar
125 grams egg white
0.5 gram citric acid

Combine all ingredients in a metal or glass mixing bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 150°F. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip to soft peaks. Reserve in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.

Passion Fruit Sauce

250 grams passion fruit juice
1.25 grams xanthan gum

Combine both ingredients in a blender and mix on high for 3 minutes. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Black Sesame Fluid Gel

250 grams water
4 grams agar agar
250 grams black sesame seeds, soaked in water for 12 hours and drained
200 grams honey
50 grams virgin sesame oil
5 grams salt

In a saucepan, bring water and agar agar to a boil. Transfer to a blender, add sesame seeds, and puree until extremely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until homogenous. Pass mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate for one hour. Return the mixture to a blender and puree until very smooth. Strain and transfer to a squeeze bottle. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Sesame Shortbread

300 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
200 grams sugar
Seeds from one vanilla bean
6 grams salt
275 grams all-purpose flour
250 grams almond flour
250 grams sesame seeds

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla seeds, and salt until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Freeze for at least four hours. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and bake on a sheet pan in a preheated 325°F convection oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. When cool, break into small irregular shards and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Black Sesame Powder

150 grams black sesame seeds
50 grams honey
50 grams amidated tapioca maltodextrin
2 grams salt

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor and blend to a homogenous grey powder. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To Serve

Passion Fruit "Tart"
Meringue
Argan Oil
Passion Fruit Sauce
Black Sesame Fluid Gel
Sesame Shortbread
Black Sesame Powder

Carefully peel away the tape and acetate from the "tart" and place on a plate. Pipe 5 to 6 small mounds of meringue on and beside the tart. Using a blow torch, brown the meringue until golden. Drizzle some argan oil around the “tart.” Place small pools of passion fruit sauce within the argan oil. Garnish the plate with black sesame fluid gel, shards of sesame shortbread, and a sprinkling of black sesame powder.

  back to the 2008 Golden Scoop Awards