Well Fed Network

Posted by Roberto Navarro on Sugar Savvy.

We all love dessert, obviously. Proof of that is the opening of dessert-centered restaurants or dessert bars, or Pastry chefs opening their restaurants where they play with our tastebuds. Pichet Ong, Sam Mason, Elizabeth Falkner, Will Goldfarb, Chika Tillman and even Alain Ducasse are just some people that one can name as examples of this trend.

I have always had a love for a good dessert. The perfect ending for a good meal. I’ve always admired the work of Oriol Balaguer and Pierre Hermé, among others. Recently I had the opportunity to come into contact with some of the young stars of the US pastry scene and my list of pastry heroes was changed forever.

One of the most impressive young pastry chefs I’ve gotten to meet and get a taste of his food is Alex Stupak. This 27-year-old chef has already worked in some of the hottest restaurants in the US, such as Clio in Boston, TRU and Alinea in Chicago and presently, wd-50 in New York. He has also been named “Best Pastry Chef” by Boston Magazine and a “Rising Star” by Starchefs.

Watching Alex work give you an impression of the dedication and passion with which he approaches his craft. Looking at his plating tells you about his impeccable sense of aesthetics and avant-garde technique. Reading the description of his desserts shows his creativity and finally, tasting the dessert, is one of the finest dessert experiences I’ve ever had.

On to the Tasting:

Pre-Dessert: Plum tuile and sorbet, feta cream, red wine vinegar, marjoram.
I love cheese, and feta ranks up there as one of my favorites. The sweet cream showed a great balance and it married the extremely tasty plum tuiles and sorbet. The acidity of the red wine reduction helped round out the dish. The marjoram I could’ve done without.

Fried butterscotch pudding, mango, taro sorbet, smoked macadamia (Pictured above).
This was one of the dessert choices my wife and I made at wd-50 and her favorite one. I just love butterscotch so this was an easy pick. The taste of the mango and butterscotch combine amazingly well. The creamy taro root sorbet feels a bit gooey, but it’s very soft and matches the rest of the dessert. I didn’t feel the taste of the macadamia much… Then again, I was too busy tasting my…

Yuzu curd, shortbread, spruce yogurt, pistachio (picture).
It was mainly the yuzu and shortbread that made me order this one. When it arrived, it looked like a lemon tart cut into a rectangle with a dab of pistachio creme on the plate. Tasting it showed there was a lot more work behind it; there was obviously some chemical magic worked into the curd for the firmness, and the shortbread was worked into a smooth but firm paste. The pistachio cream/puree was amazingly smooth and tasty. This was my favorite dessert and possibly dish of the whole meal. Sweet, sour and bitter tastes were perfectly matched and balanced.

“Peanut Butter and Jelly” (Picture here, some scrolling needed):
I actually had a chance of seeing how this one is made. Quite an interesting concept as it consists of a raspberry mix gelled with pectin. It’s then deep frozen with liquid nitrogen and popped into a peanut sablée butter (made by blending the sablée with brown butter). When the gel has frozen some of the butter around it, it’s rolled on peanut powder made by grinding peanuts with tapioca maltodextrin. It’s like a classic french truffle, with a taste closer to home.

If you get a chance to go to wd-50, make sure you don’t miss out on dessert…