alex stupak

im not sure what you mean by kulfi odor...kulfi is flavored in a myriad of ways and its base could be a variety of milk or egg products that shouldnt have an odor unless something is wrong with them....regardless my goal is nothing close to kulfi.

chewey ice cream is neither a new nor creative idea.......ever heard of turkish ice cream? in turkey they had a substance called sahlep to there base....it is the dried-ground root of a mountain orchid indigenous to the region.....unfortunately it is unavilable for use in food in most countries.....turkish ice cream can actually be eaten with a fork and knife yet still melts in the mouth.....thru further research ive discovered that there is a hydrocolloid present in the root making it happen....since wd-50 has more access to food additive technology than any other restaurant in the country were hot on the search for a sahlep equivalent..... no one can please everyone as a chef and i dont care to.....i eat every piece of mise en place that is produced by the pastry department and i plate 70 percent of the desserts here.....i dont beleive perfection is attainable but after 8 months here im very proud of what i produce and in that short time have had the oppurtunity to serve more notable and respected chefs than i have in the previous 5 years combined.....it only gets better i think.....a chefs work is never done.....

im glad to hear that our work is being well received by some....i appreciate your comments... some new dishes i hope to put forward by the deadline of may... chocolate...tortilla puree, frozen banana, cinamon fried dough...adkudjura, caramel, licorice pumpenicle-kunik-blackberry strawberry...popcorn, peanuts, sesame seeds rhubarb-rose were also working on the perfection of chewey ice cream.....not there yet, but soon

Whoops, I read too quickly. It is indeed horizontal. Apologies if I gave the wrong impression! Photos on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/kathryn/sets/7215...46452811/detail ← the photo from flickr was a the second version we decided to present the pliable ganache in.....the first was a simple spiral.....we decided to turn the presentation nintey degrees so the guest could really take note that such a soft texture was actually arcing off the plate....it was a succesful technique that i invented at alinea and brought with me to wd-50.....i have come up with a modified version of preparing the base appareil that i hope to seve within the next two weeks.....that will be the final rendition and the whole concept will be retired for something a bit more fresh....creativity is difficult and it becomes more difficult as you press forward if you take the definition of the word seriously....im glad some people enjoy somethings some of the time.....its hard (impossible) for everyone to enjoy everything lest you always produce vanilla ice cream......

Found pics of Alex Stupaks new desserts on flikr here. Very impressive looking. ← what Sethro said... Nice! ← i appreciate that anybody has taken interest in what ive been doing so far. After going thru a stressful move.... a brand new job at a busy restaurtant and a complete overhaul in staff im happy to hear anything positive....its highly reassuring and i cant wait to get my fall ideas into circulation. as far as the menthol mousse....dont be too thrown off by it....i dont use cough drops to flavor it....i actually use pure pharmectical grade menthol crystals....it was an intriguing product to me because it is the pure chemical found in all mentha species of plants that offer that cooling-bracing effect....without any mint flavor at all......so to me it was a seasoning unlike others i have used.....it would be seasoning something with pure capsaicin without the flavor of chilies......along with the lactic acid present in the system by way yogurt i find the dish to be really succesful....

good to see you last night will.....thanks for letting us in so late

i was never really sure why el bulli was puting isomalt in there caramel systems.....it would only reduce sweetness a minimal amount....i think they thought it would hold up better amidst humid conditions but isomalt loses that property when mixed with other sugars.....i have good results using it in croquants and such without any texture issues but again i dont think it helped anything..... other than sugar show pieces its not good for much......although i did see someone do something really cool with it this one time.... he put olive oil in a vita prep and let it go full blast....and then carefully poured in melted isomalt......the result was a pate de fruit like texture.....it was almost jelly like....

someone hears i meant....i really should spell check these posts befor i put them out there.... ← before

someone hears i meant....i really should spell check these posts befor i put them out there....

gellan is produced that way but its done in a lab it doesnt occur in anything naturally....that was my point is all......its synthesized in a lab.....i personally have no problem with using anything if its a means to an end.....i am however against using a substance for the sake of using it.....someone heres that this place is using that stuff and everyone wants it and they dont even know why...they just do....

i have had no problems using sorbitol.....or glycerin for that matter....i f you eat a bowl of it it might cause some problems......but not in small amounts.....i didint think lacitol was dairy based.....i still dont think so....ill triple check though.....if your against sorbitol than your against isomalt too, sorry to say.... and as far as carnuba wax.....it depends on the application..... the point is where do you draw the line? Gellan gum does not exist in nature but no one has a problem with it....silica does occur in nature and it is legal to put up to 2% of it in food yet that would freak people out.....why.....where is the logic?

so what else is going on?......who is working on something new and exciting? lets talk about something else.....anyone having fun with enzyme technology?....anyone getting anywhere with all the various polysaccharides we have now......has anyone used lacitol yet.....? i know of only 2 other restaurants that have it and im curious about what people think...is it ok to use?...i think so but some people draw the line in different spots....is it okay to use food grade parrafin?...i do occasionally....i mean its what wax lips are made of....and i had those when i was a kid but it is a petroleum based substance after all so it creates mixed emotions.....

i couldnt agree more with everthing youve just said......

the reasons im leaving have to do with my personal life and nothing else.....alinea is the most unique and dynamic restaurant i have seen in this country(and most others for that matter)I regret that my tenure here is so short....im sure in the years to come i will continue to look on and see alinea consistently reach new heights.....grant achatz is THE HARDEST WORKING CHEF I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! I would wish him luck when i leave but he doesnt need it.....i would also like to note that the entire time ive been here he put all his trust in me and gave me free range to create.....that actually quite rare as you know if youve ever worked in a restaurant and werent the chef....

the ganache is poured onto a plain old half sheet tray line with acetate.....then its sliced with a straight razor......there was a major mistake in the recipe in pastry arts....it was missing the cream completely.... thanks for the words will....ill be by as soon as i get a chance.....

im really not nervous or worried in the slightest about moving.....im not arrogant but i am very, very, very, confident in my work....as far as my pliable chocolate ganache technique.....im proud to say ive served it to some people i really respect in the buisness including both ferran and albert adria....the texture is insane and it triumphs over all the silly little demispheres and ring molds we are all generally slaves too.....the new way im manipulating it i can actually get it to form an arc off of the plate....personally i dont like reference points in desserts.....peanut butter and jelly.....a play on a black forest cake....i get it....the only time those approaches were fresh and new to me was when los postres de el bulli and the french laundry cookbooks came out.....dont get me wrong im not against it....im not against anything if it tastes good......i just really try to avoid the "cake and ice cream" syndrome myself......okay so i ahve a main component....some ice cream or sorbet, a sauce.....there is a reason everything in pastry arts looks the same.....it takes a lot of frustration and energy to actually create.....if we cant get the mold from jb prince we cant make it......

at one point in history a lot of flavor combinations that are commonplace in both sweet and savory disciplines were unusual and intentional juxtapositions i feel....although chocolate and raspberry is so pedestrian its silly i still cant wrap my brain around it.....i would never pair those two flavors together......i mean i never would've thought of it....whoever came up with it was a very creative person...i mean i particularly dont like the combo but obviously its withstood and seems to make sense.... so what flavors make sense to you? pretend youve never lived on this planet before and are unaware of whats happened in cuisine at this point....your a blank slate with no preconceptions....what would you pair with chocolate then....what tastes best with it to you.....maybe it would be raspberry.....but that still counts as creative.....because your looking at it with a fresh clean perspective.....i personally would eat chocolate with avacado over raspberry anyday.... i fear im rambling and might not be making much sense...so forgive me.....ive had a rough day... im trying to say that one way or another were all going to have to combine flavors......rarely is that the most exciting part for me.....for me its the technique....pastry and all cooking for that matter is manipulation.....the second a piece of fruit is taken from a tree its been altered or fussed with....now that weve already denatured it by taking it into our kitchen what will you do with it to make it unique and hopefully better than it was when you found it?....we can all get the same ingredients more or less so for me its technique and method that really decipher creativity. maybe if you work really hard you develop a new way of doing things....if you that just once in your career.....its incredible....if you can teach it to others.....even more important.....as a pastry chef you have an arsenal of techniques you can apply to your products if you can widen the arsenal it gets even more exciting... these are random things i think about in regards to creativity and what it actually is.....at the end of the day the goal of any dessert is to be perfectly delicious and beautiful in every way....if i can deliver that consistently and make a few people ask me "how did you do that" i could ask for nothing more....thanks for starting this thread its really enjoyable for me to read all this great stuff....i cant wait to be in new york