By Pat Tanner, Special Writer
It was only supposed to be an extended “pit stop” in New Jersey on his way from Maine to Florida. But as of Oct. 1, Richard Lipshanic has been happily ensconced at The Blue Rooster Bakery & Café in Cranbury, with no plans to move on.
”Before this, I had been working at a little bistro in Maine,” says the peripatetic chef, who over the course of a 25-year career has worked in European restaurants and in such notable New York eateries as The Russian Tea Room, Aleutia, and Oceana. He counts Oceana’s Rick Moonen as a major influence.
”That was one of the few places where I got to taste everything on the menu,” he says.
More recently, he worked with Lawrence Klang, who until earlier this year was at Natalie’s, the AAA four-diamond restaurant at the Camden Harbour Inn in Maine, which is known for its creative French fare. In 2008, Mr. Lipshanic cooked with Mr. Klang at the James Beard House.
”I learned technique and a classic style of cooking from him,” his acolyte says. Mr. Klang is now at the WaterColor Inn & Resort on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and the two men stay in touch.
It was on his way to Florida that Mr. Lipshanic decided to take on a temporary, secondary job in construction, “with the expectation that in April I’d head down.” But before that happened, he chanced upon an ad on Craigslist placed by Karen Finigan, who owns the Blue Rooster with her husband, Bob.
”The ad emphasized the same concepts that I hold about using fresh, local products,” he explains. “I sent off a quick letter giving a rundown of my experience. That very night Karen responded, and we met the next day. That was the only ad I replied to!”
Subsequently, he began to help out at the Blue Rooster while finishing up his carpentry work.
Mr. Lipshanic, 43, is originally from Brooklyn. “But we moved around a lot when I was young,” he says. “My mom was a single mom, and I would spend time with my grandfather, who would teach me to cook things like coating pork chops with a thin layer of mustard, and cooking them low and slow. As a Boy Scout I earned a badge not in something like tying knots, but in cooking!”
At 19, he went to cooking school at Berkshire Community College, which offered a two-year program compressed into one intensive year.
”It is very pleasurable working with Bob and Karen,” their new chef says. “They see the big picture, and they’ve shown a lot of faith in me. They let me do what I want with the menu.” A new menu is being introduced within the next week or so.
One example of what Mr. Lipshanic has in mind is rabbit roulade. “I debone the rabbit, fill it with duxelles, roll it up, and cover it with caul fat. I serve it with cranberry gastrique,” he says with pride.
Existing customer favorites that will get the Lipshanic touch include rack of lamb with fingerling potatoes, pan-seared duck with juniper berries, and osso buco, for which a veal shank is braised in red wine and veal stock and served with carrots and onions over horseradish whipped potatoes topped with gremolata. Mr. Lipshanic is also busy streamlining the restaurant’s systems and is concentrating on the staff.
”They’re pretty good,” he says. “They take pride in their work, and there’s a nice camaraderie, which you don’t find everywhere. After 25 years in this business, I’m looking to work in a nice place that’s professional but maintains a casual atmosphere.”
What does this well-traveled chef think about the local farm and artisansal products? “Well, this is the Garden State after all!” he exclaims. “The tomatoes and corn here are unrivaled. And Karen gets spinach from a local farm.”
He adds that the Blue Rooster also buys products from Sid Wainer, a high-end purveyor that counts three New Jersey farms among its sources. “We get their pancetta, foie gras, and some herbs,” he says.
Mr. Lipshanic lives in Plainsboro, just three miles from the restaurant. He has family members living in Manalapan, as well as friends living locally and on Staten Island.
”It’s weird how things worked out,” he marvels. “I’m a religious man and I believe everything works out the way it does for a reason. This position is more than I expected: it’s a beautiful place in a quaint little town, serving great food at reasonable prices.”
The recipe below for savory quiche filling is on the Blue Rooster’s brunch menu. “The recipe makes 10 to 12 personal-size quiches, approximately 3½ inches each,” Mr. Lipshanic explains. “Use just a bit of lobster and cheese, so you have enough room for the batter and to get the experience of the egg in the quiche.”
For those who prefer not to have to roll out pastry for individual quiches, the recipe can, of course, be adapted to make a full-size quiche. That is exactly what I did by taking cues from a similar recipe from Yankee Magazine.
LOBSTER AND DILL
HAVARTI QUICHE FILLING
The Blue Rooster
Bakery & Café
Cranbury
Ingredients:
3 cups heavy cream
8 medium whole eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
Lobster pieces, to taste (preferably Maine lobster)
Dill havarti cheese, shredded, to taste
Yield: Filling for 10 to 12 3½-inch pastry shells.
LOBSTER CHEESE QUICHE
Adapted from Yankee Magazine
1 cup cut-up lobster meat
1 cup shredded dill havarti cheese
One 9-inch pastry shell, unbaked
4 eggs
2 cups light cream
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle lobster and cheese into pastry shell. Beat eggs. Pour cream into eggs, add seasonings, and mix well. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake 35 to 45 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted one-inch from the edge comes out clean. Let quiche stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.
