Lemon tart with strawberry cream frosting, and Madrid’s Naval Museum

June 14, 2022

Natacha Sanz Caballero

Desserts and Sweets
celebration, first circumnavigation of the globe, mini tarts, Naval Museum, postre, tarta, yo fui el primero

A layover of some hours in Madrid might be very properly invested, notably if, because it occurred to me, it was in April and never in June. Information has it the wait time for passport management at Madrid airport this summer time is not going to enable me to do that once more. Or… it should be a shorter, however nonetheless candy go to —similar to the lemon tart with strawberry cream frosting (or extra particularly, the mini tarts) that accompany this submit: small and candy. 

I’ve been wanting to go to the Naval Museum in Madrid for a very long time, and extra so following the investigation that led me to write down my novel Yo fui el primero, in regards to the first circumnavigation of the world accomplished by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, and whose 500 anniversary we have a good time this 12 months. What would have been a protracted and boring layover at Barajas Airport turned essentially the most attention-grabbing in-between-flights expertise. 

The Naval Museum in Madrid is a jewel for lovers of historical past and maritime expeditions. Housed within the magnificent Cuartel Common de la Armada, the Spanish Navy Headquarters constructing situated in Madrid’s Paseo del Prado, it might be attainable to comply with Spain’s historical past by the fashions, work, relics and artifacts it displays.

The brothers Pinzón, Martín Alonso, captain of La Pinta, and Vicente Yáñez, captain of La Niña. Cristopher Columbus was on the helm of the Santa María

Cristopher Columbus

The chart of Juan de la Cosa, 1500, the primary map exhibiting America

Juan de la Cosa, Spanish navigator and cartographer, proprietor of the nao Santa María and writer of the oldest map that exhibits America

Arrival of Christopher Columbus in Hispaniola, above the chart of Juan de la Cosa

I’m not going to faux to explain it right here, or take you on a digital tour by its rooms, as a result of when you’re actually curious about historical past, in naval historical past, or in Spain’s historical past, this needs to be a obligatory go to when you ever journey to or go by Madrid. Nevertheless, I’ll make a brief cease at two of its rooms, those that carry essentially the most significance for me right now, given the topic of my novel.

The primary room the customer encounters when accessing the museum is known as The ocean within the daybreak of Spain, XIII to XV centuries, and it shows the fashions of the 2 sorts of boats utilized in that period, the galleys, lengthy and slim boats propelled by oars and latin sails, principally used within the Mediterranean, and the naves mancas, spherical and tall vessels with no oars, which developed into the naos and the caravels. Subsequent to the fashions cling the work of Isabella and Ferdinand, Catholic Queen and King who promoted and funded Christopher Columbus’s first journey to the Indies —and subsequently the founders of the age of discovery in Spain.

Reproduction of the nao Victoria, the one considered one of 5 ships that returned to Spain after having circumnavigated the Earth

The Treaty of Tordesillas, (1494), which divided the brand new found lands between Spain and Portugal

Juan Sebastián Elcano, Spanish navigator that led the return to Spain of the nao Victoria and the survivors of the primary journey around the globe

The protagonists of the primary journey around the globe

Astrological and astronomical devices utilized in crusing within the XVI century

Portrait of Elcano, and his arrival in Sanlúcar de Barrameda after having circumnavigated the Earth

Ferdinand Magellan and Juan de la Cosa

The second room, named The age of exploration, XV and XVI centuries, is the one I spent essentially the most time throughout my go to. Right here you can discover the work of among the most infamous navigators of that period, those whose journeys modified the historical past of the world. Amongst them, these of Christopher Columbus and the Pinzón brothers with a copy of one of many caravels used on their journey to the Indies, which in the end let to the invention of America. 

However the crown jewel of this room, and perhaps that of the museum, is the chart of Juan de la Cosa, the Spanish navigator who additionally participated within the Columbus journeys. This chart, created in 1500 and not too long ago restored, is the oldest identified chart that exhibits a illustration of South America.

A bigger mannequin of the caravel Santa María within the heart of this room led me to what lay behind it: the world devoted to the primary circumnavigation of the world, initially led by Ferdinand Magellan and in the end accomplished by Juan Sebastián Elcano. 

Subsequent to a smaller mannequin of the nao Victoria, the one one which returned to Spain after having circumnavigated the world, essentially the most well-known identified work of Magellan and Elcano flanked the bigger iconic portray of the arrival of Elcano to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on board the nao Victoria on September 6, 1522. And since I didn’t anticipate finding these objects there, my coronary heart jumped, in what others would have referred to as a Stendhal syndrome episode. 

After having spent a number of years, investigating first and writing subsequent, my novel in regards to the first circumnavigation of the world, being in entrance of the work I had seen so many instances in my analysis produced a magnetic impact in me. I examined each element, getting nearer to look at the tiniest particulars, backing as much as admire them of their entirety. Leaving the room to go to the remaining rooms within the museum, however returning to this second room. Strolling down the steps to go away the museum when time was getting tight to return to the airport for my connecting flight, then strolling up the steps once more for one final look, to absorb a bit extra of these footage I had seen so many instances in my investigation, these astrological and astronomical devices I had talked about within the novel, the mannequin of the boat with the heroes of the primary circumnavigation of the world that had survived and returned to Spain to inform their story.

What you possibly can see on the Naval Museum

The museum encompassed different rooms I needed to go to unexpectedly as a result of time constraints, purpose sufficient to grant one other go to on a future journey to Spain. Cronologically, these rooms are:

• The place the Solar By no means Units, XVI and XVII centuries
• The Basis of the Royal Military, XVIII century
• The Finish of an Empire, XIX century
• The Resurgence of the Spanish Navy, XX and XXI centuries

The rooms exhibiting monographic topics had been additionally noteworthy, and I do know I might be again to go to them with the eye they deserve:

• The Golden Age of Naval Development in Spain, XVIII century
• The Protection of Business Maritime Routes within the XVI and XVII centuries
• Naval Development within the Age of Steam, 1833 to 1931 
• The Spanish Navy at the moment

I accompany this submit at the moment with the recipe for lemon tart with strawberry cream frosting, a candy recipe that mixes two flavors I really like in desserts: berries and lemon. I’ve made it in mini tart kind and in common tart measurement, and the recipe is similar for each. The crust is what we name in Spain “pasta quebrada”, which might be intently described as a brief bread pastry: candy and barely buttery, agency however crumbly when eaten.

The lemon cream underneath the strawberry cream frosting marry completely, and you can simply as properly substitute the strawberries with raspberries, as a result of the end result might be equally scrumptious. Lemon tart with strawberry cream frosting is probably not as visually phenomenal as a layer cake (just like the mocha cake with espresso cream cheese frosting or the ardour fruit and berry cake with mascarpone icing, which you could find on this weblog), however its mixture of flavors and textures makes it an much more excellent dessert. Make it and let me know.

In regards to the first circumnavigation of the world:

In case you’re curious about studying extra in regards to the unimaginable journey that was the primary circumnavigation of the Earth you may get Yo fui el primero on Amazon, or by these hyperlinks:

In Spain Yo fui el primero

In USA  Yo fui el primero