cooking

A Delicious Dinner, No Matter Who Cooks It

A Delicious Dinner, No Matter Who Cooks It
Chef Robert Arbor of Le Gamin Café in Sharon gave a class on how to cook chicken fricassee on Saturday, Feb. 12, on Zoom. 
Photo by Tam Tran

Chef Robert Arbor (owner of Le Gamin in Sharon, Conn.)  demonstrated the art of traditional French cuisine in the first of a series of cooking programs that aired on Zoom on Saturday, Feb. 12.

The cooking series is hosted by the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, Conn.

The cooking class was offered two days before Valentine’s Day, giving men and women the chance to win hearts the old-fashioned way: through the stomach.

Chef Arbor surely paved the way toward spicing things up, with his chicken fricassee paired with oven-roasted potatoes.

Le Gamin opened in March 2021 at the Sharon shopping plaza and quickly attracted a large and devoted following. In January, Connecticut magazine recognized Le Gamin as one of the top 25 best new restaurants in the state.

Hotchkiss Library Executive Director Gretchen Hachmeister joined Arbor in the restaurant’s small kitchen for the live action class on Zoom. Recipes had been provided ahead of time, offering viewers a chance to have ingredients ready so they could cook along with the class.

Arbor quickly showed how to cut up a chicken and simmer it in water to make broth, then got some potatoes roasting in a hot oven with garlic and thyme.

Meanwhile he and Hachmeister chatted easily, with some viewers sending in questions about cooking and about  Arbor and how he and his family came to find a home and restaurant in Sharon.

Arbor’s journey from France to New York City was indirect; stops were made along the way, Arbor recounted. He spent some time in Hong Kong, where he met his future wife, Tam Tran, now a noted jewelry designer and artist (her home studio is in Sharon).

He opened his first restaurant in New York City in the 1980s, finding just the right location in Greenwich Village. Several successful restaurants followed, as did a book that he co-authored in 2003, “Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living.”

The recipe for the chicken fricassee and roasted potatoes is on this page.

For those who prefer to have their chicken fricassee prepared for them, Arbor said that it does appear on the menu from time to time. And for those who are unsure what a fricassee is, it is loosely defined as a stewed or fried meat in a creamy sauce.

Watch the video on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXbbIXTBIr0. Learn more about this and other programs at the library website, www.hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org.

Lisa Steele will talk about her new cookbook, “The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook,” on Thursday, March 3.

A third program will be offered in spring.

cooking

Latest News

Troutbeck to host ‘rewilding’ talk with environmental leaders

Troutbeck to host ‘rewilding’ talk with environmental leaders

AMENIA — The concept of “rewilding” the environment will be the focus of a discussion at Troutbeck in Amenia on Saturday, Nov. 8, featuring environmentalist Ben Goldsmith and Dr. Joshua R. Ginsberg, president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. The program begins at 3 p.m.

Admission is free, but registration is requested. Troutbeck encourages attendees to arrive early for lunch or stay afterward for dinner in its dining room.

Keep ReadingShow less
environment and conservation

Route 44 to be reduced to one lane of traffic for water leak repair in Millerton

Route 44 to be reduced to one lane of traffic for water leak repair in Millerton

Water from the damaged pipe has bubbled up to the surface of Route 44 near Park Avenue in Millerton on Monday, Nov. 3. Water department crews are expected to repair the leak between 5 p.m. and midnight.

Photo by Nathan Miller

MILLERTON — Drivers passing through Millerton should expect delays on Main Street/Route 44 around Park Avenue as a Water Department crew works to repair a leak under the westbound lane.

Interim Superintendent of Public Works Joe Olenik said the work will begin around 5 p.m. tonight, Nov. 3, and he expects repairs to be finished by midnight. “There’s concrete under that, so it’s going to take a little longer,” Olenik said, pointing to a picture of the puddle that has accumulated on Route 44 because of the leak. “It’s not just blacktop and dirt.”

Keep ReadingShow less
traffic

Demolition of Millerton’s fire-damaged highway and water building begins

Demolition of Millerton’s fire-damaged highway and water building begins

Demolition crews from BELFOR Property Restoration began demolishing the fire-ravaged Water and Highway Department building in the Village of Millerton on Monday, Oct. 27

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The long-awaited demolition of Millerton’s Highway and Water Department building began Monday, Oct. 27, marking a major milestone in the village’s recovery from the February fire that destroyed the facility.

The demolition, handled by BELFOR Property Restoration, is now underway. Eddie Collins Park, located next to the site, remains open to the public, though visitors are asked to steer clear of the demolition area.

Keep ReadingShow less
water department

Keane Stud developers present environmental impact analysis

Keane Stud developers present environmental impact analysis

A preliminary draft of an impact analysis study for a Keane Stud subdivision application drew residents to a Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Photo by leila Hawken

AMENIA — Residents had the opportunity on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to weigh in on the proposed Keane Stud subdivision, a plan that would divide roughly 605 acres into 27 mostly residential lots, during a meeting of the Amenia Planning Board.

The session was part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act process, following the board’s decision that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement should be prepared to evaluate potential environmental and scenic impacts from the project.

Keep ReadingShow less
planning board