September 26, 2024

Chocolate and Coffee Mousse Cake, St Augustine, and the First Thanksgiving

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets, Events & Travel coffee, First Thanksgiving, Florida, San Agustín de la Florida, Spanish dessert, Spanish heritage, Spanish history, Spanish Mission, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving will be in just a couple of months, so it is not too early to start thinking and planning for it. In my case, it means getting flights for my sons to come home! But it also means starting to think about delicious meals to prepare while they are home. I think they are going to love this chocolate and coffee mousse cake. It could be made for the big day, but also for any of the other few days they will be home, since each of those days will be precious and celebratory.

Castillo de San Marcos, on Matanzas Bay

The chocolate and coffee mousse cake is a Spanish recipe, but not a very traditional one. Still, and like all the dishes that I make, it is a simple recipe that doesn’t take much to put together, yet looks beautiful and tastes delicious. The chocolate cake base, topped with a silky, slightly coffee flavored creamy mouse, will delight everybody. Consider adding this chocolate and coffee mousse cake to your celebration!

And while this chocolate and coffee mousse cake will be a great option for your Thanksgiving feast, check out all the other fantastic ideas suggested in the article “How to Make Thanksgiving Dinner at Home: The Perfect Spread.” I contributed to this article from ApartmentGuide with some decorating ideas. Check out the blog article here!

Statue of Fr Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, the first priest to celebrate a Catholic mass in the continental United States, on the site

Chocolate and coffee mousse cake, Mama Ía blog

Coffin of Pedro Menéndez de Avila, St. Augustine founder, at the Mission Nombre de Dios Museum

Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Nombre de Dios Mission

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I thought it appropriate to accompany this recipe and this theme with some photos of our trip to Saint Augustine, Florida, last Spring. I fell in love with the city! Not surprising, since I had wanted to visit it for a very long time. You see, Saint Augustine is the oldest Spanish settlement in the United States, and where it is said the first Thanksgiving took place.

A bit of Saint Augustine history

In 1513, Juan Ponce de León, already the first governor of the island of Puerto Rico, arrived in Florida and claimed it for Spain. Spanish settlements needed to be built in Florida, so King Phillip II sent Pedro Menéndez de Avilés with this purpose. On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés arrived on the shores of Florida with a fleet of five ships and around 700 soldiers and settlers. No Spanish expedition traveled with less than one priest, since evangelization was one of the main missions of the Crown. On that day, Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales celebrated the first Catholic mass in the new settlement, named after the saint whose feast was celebrated that day, Saint Augustine.

Saint Pothios Orthodox Shrine, on George’s Street, on the site of the old Minorcan Chapel

St. Augustine’s Old City Gate

Inside St Augustine Cathedral

St. Augustine Cathedral and statue of Minorcan Fr Pedro Camps

After the mass, the Spaniards invited the natives from the village of Seloy to feast together. It is not known what dishes were served, but we could assume that the Spanish ships brought enough ingredients from the motherland to make some sort of cocido (Spanish stew). The natives would have contributed with turkey, deer, turtles, corn and pumpkins. Barrels of wine were always transported on Spanish ships, so wine in abundance may have been enjoyed by all as well.

In talking about the significance of the Mass and the meal, noted historian Dr. Michael Gannon wrote in his book Cross in the Sand:

“It was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent (European) settlement in the land.”

This was the first act of thanksgiving with a religious celebration and meal to commemorate the permanent settlement of Europeans in North America. So, some 56 years before the English colonists arrived at Plymouth Rock, the first Thanksgiving had already happened.

In front of the Governor’s House

Flagler College, the site of the old Ponce de León Hotel

Dinner at Casa Reina

In the years to come, Saint Augustine’s settlers, isolated and often near starvation, lived in constant fear of attack by pirates who roamed the coast. Diminishing supplies and increasing hostility of the natives made life treacherous as well. Pirate Francis Drake burnt the village and wooden fort to the ground in 1586 and the town was sacked again in 1668 by pirate John Davis. In 1672, under the Queenship of Queen Mariana of Spain, construction of a fort was started. Castillo de San Marcos took 23 years to complete. It was built of coquina, a locally quarried, soft shell rock that made walls almost impenetrable.

View of Matanzas Bay from Castillo de San Marcos

The armory at Castillo de San Marcos

Coquina, the main construction material at Castillo de San Marcos

The Spanish Crown encouraged the marriages between Spaniards and natives in what is known as mestizaje

In 1702, seven years after its completion, British troops from South Carolina besieged the castillo, the fortress, for 50 days. 1500 Spanish citizens fled into the security of the fortress and refused to surrender. The British finally gave up the siege and burnt the town. This event is why there are no buildings older than 1702 in Saint Augustine today. The Castillo de San Marcos is today one of Saint Augustine‘s most iconic structures, and a tourist destination.

England defeated Spain in The Seven Year War, and Florida was transferred to English control by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. However, the entire Florida Peninsula returned to Spain as part of the negotiations ending the American Revolution in 1783.

Spain ruled in St. Augustine and Florida for another 37 years, known as The Second Spanish Period, from 1783 to 1821. It is during this period that construction of the cathedral, one of Saint Augustine‘s most iconic buildings, begun.

Strolling along St George’s street

The replica of nao Trinidad, one of the 5 ships that sailed in the first voyage around the world (1519-1522), was docked at the harbor!

Ice Plant restaurant

But upon their return to Florida, the Spanish found that Saint Augustine had changed. Settlers from a failed colony in New Smyrna, south of Saint Augustine, had moved to Saint Augustine in 1777. This group, known collectively as the Minorcans, included settlers from the island of Menorca in Spain, as well as from Greece, Italy and France, all of whom made the initial trip to Florida in 1768 to work as servants to the Brits on an indigo plantation 70 miles south of Saint Augustine. The Minorcan established a Catholic Church on Saint George Street that came to be known as the Minorcan Chapel, and which is now the Saint Pothios Greek Orthodox National Shrine.

During the Second Spanish Period, Spain suffered the Napoleonic invasions at home in Europe. With that and other concerns in Europe, Florida no longer held its past importance to Spain, while the expanding United States regarded the Florida Peninsula as vital to its interests. In 1821, the Spanish settlements in Florida, and with them, Saint Augustine, were turned over to the United States.

Spanish heritage

The influence of its rich Spanish heritage can be seen in Saint Augustine, from its town plan with a central Plaza and Cathedral, to the Castillo San Marcos and the Nombre de Dios Mission, where the first Catholic Mass in North America took place in 1565. The Franciscan mission Nombre de Dios is also considered the first mission established in the continental United States.

The streets with Spanish names, the open balconies and shaded patios, along with a host of holiday traditions, and the Spanish character of much of the food and wine, reflect the strong influence of Spanish culture that continues in Saint Augustine to this day.

Our trip to Saint Augustine was a delight, and I can’t wait to go back and learn more about the city and its history. We stayed at an oceanfront beach resort, another of Saint Augustine‘s main attractions —the beach! To make it to town, we had to drive over the Bridge of Lions, by the harbor, and I couldn’t believe my eyes with what I saw there. The replica of Nao Trinidad, one of the five ships that formed the Armada of the first trip around the world, was anchored there! I (obviously) walked over to the ship and talked to some of the crew members, Spaniards like me, who sail the ship and dock it in different harbors so visitors can learn about the history of the first circumnavigation of the world, started by Magellan and completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano.

As you know, I published a book about this most incredible journey of discovery, I was the first in English and Yo fui el primero, it’s Spanish version). You can learn more it here, here, here and here.

Other attractions in Saint Augustine:

If you plan a visit to St. Augustine you can’t miss visiting these historical sites:

The Misión Nombre de Dios and Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche
Castillo de San Marcos
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine
Spanish Military Hospital
Flagler College (Ponce de León Hotel)
The Governor’s House
Saint Pothios Greek Orthodox National Shrine
Saint George’s Street
Anastasia State Park and Island (the beach!)

Restaurants in Saint Augustine

These are some of the delicious restaurants where we ate during our visit:

Harvest and Reel, located within the spectacular Embassy Suites by Hilton Oceanfront Resort, Harvest & Reel offers farm fresh and shore-to-table cuisine in an unparalleled coastal setting. It’s on the beach, and was one of our favorites.
Ice Plant, farm-to-table, very good ambience and upscale dishes and cocktails. The original building dates back to 1927, and it includes the original bridge crane that was used to pick up huge blocks of ice to then be broken down and sold to local customers and the shrimp boats.
Salt Life Food Shack, located directly across the street from St. Augustine Pier, with ocean views and a mostly American menu, but abundant in fish dishes. Laid back ambiance
Spanish Bakery, along Saint Georges Street, perfect for a quick lunch. The Spanish Bakery stays true to its roots of St. Augustine with a stone hearth oven, a separate wood siding smoke house and a Spanish style white stucco shingled-roof.
The Kookaburra, an Australian-American cafe next to the Cathedral. Another good lunch option
Casa Reina, Located on the bay front at the foot of the Bridge of Lions. The restaurant is inspired by the flavors of
Mexican, Latin American and Florida Coastal cuisine

I hope your Thanksgiving preparations get off to a good start with this chocolate and coffee mousse cake! For more dessert ideas, you can browse the DESSERTS + SWEETS section on this blog, under the RECIPES tab.

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