Marcus Probsdorfer, Chef de Cuisine of l'Auberge d'HermanceI love it when I get fresh fish in the morning, go to the market in Douvaine for rich products, talk to everybody like they are my family, think about the dishes, creations and good offers of the day for our diners...Chef Markus

Nestled in the medieval village of Hermance, is a cozy boutique inn with less than ten rooms that is a paradox of serenity and culinary adventure. And, with an enormous advantage: it’s a short distance from downtown Geneva. This idyllic ‘auberge’ is staffed with some of the warmest hospitality professionals we’ve met. From Owner, Franz Wehren, Hostess Eva Blanke, Chef Markus Probsdorfer, to the long-term wait staffer, Francisco, and short-term staffers, Roman and Igor, and Debra, the Concierge, the hospitality crew serves to enhance the stellar nouvelle classical dishes which feature exotic flavor influences. The warmth and intimacy of the inn is a welcome home during this historically frigid European winter. There is always a fire in the chiminee and the offer of snacks and drinks, when we return every evening from our architectural explorations. A note handed to us one morning at breakfast, written by the chef, begins, “Good Morning Sunshiny People!” The truth is: our sunny attitude is due to their attention to the details of our comfort. They are the personification of what we discover to be the cultural identity of Switzerland: consideration and conscientiousness.Steve Chambers, AIA, receives a nightly greeting from "Lady" in main dining room of l'Auberge d'Hermance

Markus’ aprentissage in cuisine began in his hometown of Carinthia, the most autonomous state in Austria with possible exception of Tyrol. Older than Austria itself, it is fairly isolated from other states by its geography. Carinthians have a reputation for being more warm-hearted than many other areas of Austria. One explanation of the name Carinthia is that is derives from the celtic word Carant, which means friend.

After military training, Markus’ journey to discover haute cuisine led him to St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Suvretta House is a grand maison with 55 chefs, each of whom do everything from beginning to end, and serve a clientele numbering 400! At the age of 21, after the stint in the Swiss mountains, he moved to the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland to Ticino to learn about pastas and risottos at Park Hotel Delta.

And then onto Gstaad, to the Gault Millau kitchen, where only French language was spoken. Markus didn't understand a word of French, but the chef was so encouraging that he became the sous chef, learning to love the people, particularly a new waitress named Eva. In the beginning, they didn't like each other at all.  Markus was totally focused on work; Eva was just coming back from a long journey to San Francisco. But, within a few short weeks with the help of talking over drinks, they found something very special in being opposites and the best part of their lives began. Together they moved on to Vienna to be nearer to friends and family. Markus worked at Steirereck, the top restaurant in Austria; Eva at the restaurant Novelli, a top Italian restaurant. It was then that Franz Wehren, the owner of the l’Auberge d'Hermance called and lured them nearer to Geneva.

Eva Blanke serves the house specialty, Poulet Encroute de Sel, whole chicken baked in a hard salt crust. Photos of cracking crust and plating in gallery, belowMarkus loves fresh food, vegetables, tomatoes, salads, meats, fish, crabs, cheese, chocolate, wine, and cigars. His favorite part of each day is to get the fresh lake fish in the morning by meeting with fisherman at the dock, go to the market in Douvaine for their fresh products, talk to everybody as though they are family, and think about dishes and new creations from his ‘catches’ of the day.  Eva and Markus love the auberge, working with people who respect them and talk to them as family. When Markus carries his new finds into the kitchen he says, “cooking becomes a completely freeing experience, where the long time of skill-building and training is second-nature and the guests outside who look at the dishes, smell the great aroma of truffles, or chicken, or fish, or vegetables, salads, and wines become the focus. We love to serve people, talking to them as more family, share, what they do…and end the day with a nice salad and a glass of wine next to the Cheminee.”  This is exactly what Steve and I lived for each day we were there.

Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we illustrate the skill, passion, and enthusiasm for the art and design of cuisine at l’Auberge d’Hermance through this photographic montage of meals we experienced each time we returned to l’Auberge d’Hermance: local, fresh, organic, seasonal, healthy, deceptively simple, high art and design in food.

In first gallery below L-R, Auberge patio dining; Auberge medieval neighborhood; poached eggs, spinach with truffles; other breakfast specialties; appetizers including: beet and Norwegian whitefish carpaccio, beef carpaccio, Asian-inspired shrimp roll, fresh fish soup, and Markus' specialty of foie gras pate de canard; fireplace in main dining; salmon carpaccio; spinach salad with truffles, a reasonable-priced Bordeaux; olive oil de cuisine.

In second gallery L-R, Steve cracking poulet de sel crust, chicken in cracked salt crust, Eva carving chicken, plated chicken in salt, Eva in kitchen, Markus preparing whitefish from Lake Geneva, plating whitefish in kitchen, whitefish served at table, scallops in foamed hollandaise over risotto, pork on potato galette, beef filet of tenderloin in vin rouge sauce, Lake Geneva fresh perch with pommes frites, salmon carpaccio.

In third gallery L-R, seabass, scallops, truffles also prepared encroute de sel; poached salmon lunch, leg of lamb wrapped in grilled zucchini with flageolets; whole foie gras de canard; chocolate lava cake with passion fruit ice cream in chocolate shell; poached pear on puff pastry; lemon tart with crumbled macaroon; Markus and Eva; the door to the kitchen!

The face of aging has improved markedly over the past 25 years to one of health and sustained energyAccording to the newest research at the Longevity Center at Stanford, you will live a lot longer than you may think that you will. The Baby Boomer generation is redefining the limits of aging and have been called, The Zoomers! According to an article in The Economist, you may also become happier as you age. When many young people think about aging, they fear and dread it. New scientific research surprisingly suggests that the reality of aging is the total opposite: increasing happiness. The most unhappy people identified by the study were in their late 40s. After age 50, with careful planning and design, many people enter into renewed serenity and joy.

We all want to age gracefully. It is a belief at our architectural firm that good design in your home can be your best ally in achieving a healthy and graceful lifestyle from age 65 and beyond. The factors that impact design for aging are the same ones that impact all good design. Truly great design provides beautiful, functional, practical, accessible spaces on a human scale that relate to the way we live, while continuing to contribute to enhanced psycho-social well-being.

Below are some of the factors in aging, which need to be considered in Aging-in-Place (stay in your home and community) design. Some of the things that can occur are not particularly pleasant to consider. But, the earlier we understand these factors, the better we can mitigate their effects. The solutions to these factors help people of all ages and physical abilities and comprise the concept called Universal Design. Our firm also believes that universal design plays a part in sustainable design. And by extension of this thinking, sustainable design contributes to sustainable relationships and an increased quality of life. A more complete discussion of some solutions will be the content of the third article in our series on Aging:

Functional Decline
Changes in the body due to age can result in loss of muscle mass, changes in balance and other factors that impact day-to-day function. Overcoming these changes requires solid strategy, preventative measures and a good bit of common sense. Recognize how your body is changing and start modifying your environment earlier rather than later to prevent these changes from becoming impediments to a high quality of life.

Depression
The elderly may be the group most impacted by depression. Isolation, changes in the body and loss of relationships contribute to older people feeling sad and depressed. The good news is that many types of depression can be treated. Changes in mood are often bio-chemical. The stigma of mental illness has been reduced, as evidenced by recent dissemination of information. Know the warning signs of depression and seek immediate help. Besides accurate diagnosis and medications, access to stimulation, cheerful people of various ages, and exercise are a few keys to elevated mood and high cognitive functioning. Daylighting, simply allowing more sunlight into a home, is a feature of sustainable design that has been shown to improve learning and mood. Today's seniors enjoy more years of shared and increased quality of life experiences than in previous generations

Disease
Diseases can build up over time. Many older people are dealing with multiple diseases and multiple medications. The symptoms of age-related disease can affect daily life and decrease the quality of life. Managing diseases carefully by seeking the care of well-integrated medical services can minimize the impact of the diseases and medications on your life. Develop an attitude of 'pushing through' and hopefulness, regardless of what is being lost as a result of aging. Rearrange/redesign your home to maximize accessibility, accommodate for limited mobility, and limit falls are all important to remaining encouraged and curious about the world. Specific design ideas will follow in the third installment of this series.

Abuse and Neglect
Often, older persons must rely on others for care and support. Abuse and neglect is far too common. Older persons may even, sometimes due to depression, neglect themselves or become unpleasant people to be around. Assist the older people in your life to find the best caregivers possible, rotating them often so that no one person 'burns out' in high maintenance tasks. Provide places in your home design where caregivers can reside and entertain themselves with the least amount of interruption in the normal conduction of your family's daily life.

Seniors are maintaining active lifestyles and healthier practices to enjoy extended life expectancyCaregiver Burnout
As discussed above, caregivers are essential to help people stay independent as they age and be sure that medical and other needs are taken care of. The problem is that caregiving is hard work. A challenge of aging is making sure that caregivers stay healthy and avoid burnout. Here again, there are simple home design solutions that help caregivers stay strong, healthy and upbeat. These will be discussed in the last installment of this series.

Financial Exploitation
Older people are trusting and need more help keeping track of finances -- the perfect storm for exploitation. Pay attention to strange and unexpected financial changes and charges. Treat any financial "help" with a healthy dose of skepticism. Set up scheduled payments through trusted bank officers, accountants, and advisors who possess current technical skills. Thinking ahead by integrating universal design elements can allow for smoother transitions to products and technologies that mitigate problems in the organization of finances.

Polypharmacy
Polypharmacy is a term that refers to the fact that many seniors find themselves seeing multiple doctors for different health problems. Often, these doctors will prescribe medication without fully knowing all the medications and other supplements that their patient is taking. Medications can cancel each other out or interact and produce unwanted and even dangerous side effects. Living in close proximity to medical providers, like university hospitals, that employ integrated services treating the whole patient is most desirable. Designing a home to be simple, accessible, and less confusing aids immensely, when pharmaceuticals may diminsh cognition and mobility.

Falls
Vision problems, combined with weakness and a loss of balance create the perfect storm for falls. Add to this a loss of bone density and falls become very serious. Every older person (and every person taking care of them) should assess home and other places for ways to reduce clutter, obstacles, and uneven or slippery surfaces to prevent falls. Design that emphasize wide ranges of motion and safety are part of the universal standards.Today's seniors look at this dour stoic agricultural snapshot of what used to be considered "the average Americans" in a rear view mirror!

Next Article: Great Design For Aging-in-Place!

Ponte degli Alpini, designed by Andrea Palladio, straddles a river running through Bassano del Grappa at foot of Monte Grappa

Dallas architect, Steve Chambers, received a fellowship to study sustainable design in Verona, Italy last fall. During this trip he drove through the Veneto Region to see, firsthand, the architecture of Andrea Palladio. Bassano del Grappa lies at the foot of Monte Grappa in this region. The Brenta River separates the town in two distinct parts that are conjoined by the graceful Ponte degli Alpini,  a bridge designed in 1569 by the Venetian architect, Andrea Palladio.  Palladio was influenced by Roman and Greek architecture and is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture. Palladian style, named after him, reflects classical Roman principles that he rediscovered, applied, and explained in his work and writings. Bridges are not normally associated with Palladio, but form a distinctive category within his work. He was the first modern architect to write and publish extensively on the subject and provides us with insight into his thought processes about design in wood and stone, as well as signaling the future trend of a return to classical forms in Renaissance architecture. The return to classical ideas ushered this "age of awakening” in Italy, France, and England, eventually spreading throughout the modern world.

While a young mason, Palladio was noticed by an Italian scholar and soon began studying mathematics, music, philosophy, and the Classical authors. From 1541 he made several trips to Rome to study ancient ruins. The wooden bridge at Bassano del Grappa was reconstructed many times, but the current iteration remains essentially true to Palladio's design of 1569. The design features a covered walkway with wooden Tuscan columns and an architrave or main beam across the top of the columns. A classic touch of open spaces between the columns in the colonnade introduces a decorum traditional to Tuscan design.

The town is also synonymous with Grappa, a fiery drink and another exported ‘art form.’ It is not for the faint of heart or mild of palate. Grappa is uniquely Italian and traditionally made from pomace, the discarded grape seeds, stalks, and stems that are a by-product of the winemaking process. Grappa has been around since the Middle Ages. For generations, Italians have sipped this "firewater" after meals and even added a little to their morning espresso, to "correct" it. Once considered an acquired taste, popular only in Italy, Grappa, today, is making itself known around the world. Distilleries from Australia to Oregon, as well as Italy, are trying their hand at making Grappa, with surprisingly good results and variations on the original theme.

Bassano is well known for its majolica, decorated and glazed earthenware, much of which is on display in the Palazzo Sturm. There are many beautiful frescos on the buildings, walls, and ceilings throughout the city dating from the Renaissance, which can be seen in the photographic gallery below. Some of these paintings are still surprisingly vibrant and wear their age quite well. Grappa bottles lining the Grappa Museum wall can also be seen in the gallery of photographs below. Upon his return to Dallas following this tour of Italian architecture, Steve turned to the book, Andrea Palladio The Architect In His Time by Bruce Boucher, to discover a painting by Roberto Roberti (c. 1813) and drawings of the bridge as designed by Palladio (seen below). The design remains as modern today in its simplicity of form and functionality as it was in the 16th century. 

RECIPE FOR ROASTED PORK (ARROSTO) WITH DRIED FRUIT AND GRAPPA: SEE BELOW PHOTO GALLERY


PORK ARROSTO WITH DRIED FRUIT AND GRAPPA   Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Brine:

1 1⁄2 cups kosher salt

1 1⁄3 cups sugar

8 cups water

For the Meat:

One boneless center-cut pork loin roast (3 to 5 pounds)

White cotton butcher’s string, if needed

For the Spice Rub:

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 1⁄2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, removed from stalk

10 fresh sage leaves

1 1⁄2 tablespoons sea salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Dried Fruit:

1 3⁄4 cups dried apricots, plums, peaches, and apples

1 1⁄2 cups water

2 T turbinado (raw) or regular sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

2 bay leaves

Pinch of cracked black pepper

1⁄4 cup grappa

Salt

( Hint: When you cook the fruit in Step 5, it will look like it’s drowning in the liquid. No worry: it will eventually soak up the grappa, and the sauce will reduce, once it sits for a bit.)

Instructions:

1. To brine the meat, bring the salt, sugar and water to a boil in a large pot, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Transfer to a heatproof container and cool completely.

2. Cover the pork with the brine and refrigerate for 45 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

3. Set an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. To make the spice rub, mix together the garlic, fennel seeds, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper on a cutting board, and finely chop with a chef's knife. Pour the olive oil over the mixture. With your fingers pressing on the side of the knife, holding the knife at a slight angle, grind the herbs and spices by rocking the knife back and forth and pulling the mixture across the board—or grind with a mortar and pestle. The mixture should have the consistency of wet sand.

4. Rub the pork all over with the spice mixture, making sure to rub into the folds of the meat—tie with butcher’s string, if the meat tends to fall open. Set in a roasting pan. Roast until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees on digital meat thermometer for medium, between 1 and 1 1⁄2 hours, depending on size. Let rest for 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the dried fruit: Combine fruit, water, sugar, lemon juice, bay leaves, and black pepper in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the fruit soften and begins to break apart, about 20 minutes. Add the grappa and simmer for 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and remove from the heat.

6. Slice the pork into chops. Serve topped with the fruit and grappa sauce.

Adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser. Copyright 2010 Amanda Hesser. 

For over 40 years, we have considered sustainability a good basic practice that should inform the entire design process. As a residential architect, I am often asked by my clients if there are exotic materials that will create features in a home different from those typically used…and express their personal lifestyles. The home construction industry has now moved to embrace green, sustainable design, at the same time that clients are seeking environmentally-friendly solutions. All of these trends add dimension to residential design and contribute to better stewardship of the global neighborhood.  Our firm supports this synergy.

A friend and client of ours in Lampasas, Texas, Herb Pierce, of Bell House Ranch Lumber, has been in the lumber business for more than 25 years. Herb has developed some of the most imaginative sustainable solutions to environmental challenges presented by homebuilding.  Herb is inspired by trees. He knows that wood has strength, vitality, and unlimited potential to be transformed into attractive and useful products for homes. At the same time, his lumber business uses processes that take his company to one of almost zero waste. One example is his use of Mesquite. “Texas Ironwood” is hard and durable. Yet, it’s hard on woodworkers and tools, even mechanized ones. Many people, especially ranchers, consider this tree a nuisance because it’s a nature bully and competes with everything else for water. In Central and West Texas, the Mesquite is often blamed for lowering the water table and is hazardous to livestock. Ranchers and farmers usually destroy it. Herb takes advantage of this fact and works with clearing companies to salvage the material.

Herb’s lumber company hauls away the logs which are normally burned by clearing crews and turns them into beautiful lumber. Bell House Ranch shreds the remnants and makes them into BBQ wood chips.  The result: Bell House provides exotic sustainable durable products for homes and furniture, and at the same time, removes a ‘thorny’ nuisance.

We used Mesquite in our design for this Texas Hill Country home, as seen in the photos below (fireplace mantle, rocking chairs). We also used Herb’s Forest Stewardship Council FSC-certified heavy fir timbers in a regional modern sustainable design, also shown below. These timbers were shipped directly from Herb’s mill to the job site, reducing costs and damage from handling.

Among the cleared Mesquite, Bell House Ranch also comes across rare Texas ebony, a wood that is hard and very dense (it will not float). The colors of Texas Ebony heartwood range from a dark chocolate brown (almost coal black) to a dark brown integrated with thin striping of lighter brown.

Also available through Bell House are antique timbers, recycled from older structures. Use of the “embodied energy” of historical timbers, saves existing forests, energy, and space in landfills. The timbers lend a rustic character, as well as a narrative, to the home’s design. Another way to amplify ambiance is by the means and methods of putting materials together, their jointery. Examples of this are shown below in the 1856 Dog Trot Log Home (pictured below right) and the Sustainable Regional Modern Home (pictured below left) and in mortice and tenon long leaf pine trusses (pictured above left). 

Herb Pierce's Bell House Ranch Lumber is the quintessential model of American ingenuity: entrepreneurial, proactive in the protection of the environment, and provides elegant building products for clients.

Hiking into the canyon of Bandelier National MonumentThe Bandelier National Monument, besides an inspiring place to travel, reminds Steve Chambers, Dallas architect, of four of the 'Seven Rs' of sustainable living. The early inhabitants of this mountainous area in Northern New Mexico, who lived here for a thousand years, set a stellar standard for sustainable design: respect and gentle use of resources near the site, reduce rooms by using them for multiple purposes, design to encourage future use, and remember and pass on what is learned to future generations. Frijoles Canyon, where the monument is located, is in an ecotone, a transition zone where plants and animals from several biological communities mingle.  In an ecotone, the variety of plants and animals is greater than in any one community alone. Because of this biological diversity, the Anazasi native people found more possibilities to hunt and gather for food and medicinal herbs.

Interior of one of the cliff dwellingsSelf-taught anthropologist and historian, Adolph Bandelier, came to Frijoles Canyon in 1880 with the ambitious goal to trace the social organization, customs, and movements of the southwestern and Mexican peoples. The sheer cliffs, year-round stream, and distinctive cave-room architecture captured his imagination, as depicted in his novel, The Delight Makers. Vivid reminders of the ancestral Pueblo people--their homes, kivas, their petroglyphs--still remain (1300-1400 AD). The "Anasazi" grew maize, beans and squash, supplementing this with deer, rabbit, and birds. Winter blankets were woven from yucca-fiber string, twisted with turkey feathers or strips of rabbit skin. Bone, wood, obsidian, and basalt were fashioned into tools and cooking implements.  Their respect for the enviroment, reduction of space needed for living, the reuse and re-purposing of the living quarters for other activities, and the remembrance of their techniques, which they passed on to many generations, are all models of a sustainable life. If we all take but one small step today, we can make a huge difference in the preservation of our precious resources.

For more on sustainable design in residential architecture, refer to other posts on sustainability by Stephen B. Chambers, AIA, Dallas architect.

The complete recipe for Indian Fry Bread is below. Also called Sopaipillas, they are easy and fun to make, either the sweet or savory variety:

Recipe for Indian Fry Bread (Sopaipillas)

1-cup all-purpose flour (coarse, unbleached or whole wheat flour gives a different, but nice, texture and flavor)
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar (if making a savory bread to fill with meat and vegetables, omit this)
2 Tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil for frying

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar (omit for savory bread) in bowl. Cut in shortening until a coarse meal results. Stir in buttermilk with a fork until soft dough is formed. Form into ball, knead several times, cover, and let rest for at least 30 minutes. Heat oil in deep saucepan to at least 375 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into squares, circles, or triangles. Drop cut pieces, one by one, into hot oil and fry until golden, taking care to roll over on all sides. Drain on paper towels and serve with warm honey or powdered sugar. When making the savory variety of this recipe, prepare recipe above, then cut open and stuff with grilled or cooked meats and vegetables, as you might fill flour tortillas.