May 07
 María Eva Duarte's Birthday
 

 

 

María Eva Duarte de Perón is probably the best know first lady in history. She served the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. While her popularity in Argentina and throughout South America was legendary during her term as Fist Lady, it was primarily through the  musical Evita by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber was a worldwide smash performed on every continent except Antarctica, (Evita is the affectionate Spanish language diminutive of Eva which she was referred to by her millions of admirers.) While Evita the musical touches almost reverently on the myth of Evita, we recommend reading Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron by Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro for a more balanced view of the Evita legend. Fraser writes that Evita's story is appealing to our celebrity-obsessed age because her story confirms one of Hollywood's oldest clichés, the rags to riches story.

Three years after her death, her husband Juan Perón was overthrown in a military coup, in 1955. Perón fled the country and did not make arrangements to secure Evita's body .which has been on public display in a monument.The new authorities removed Evita's body from display and her whereabouts remained a mystery for 16 years. From 1955 until 1971, the military dictatorship of Argentina issued a ban on Peronism. It became illegal not only to possess pictures of Juan and Eva Perón even in one's home, but to even speak their names.

After sixteen years, the military finally revealed the location of Evita's body. She had been buried in a crypt in Milan, Italy, under the name "María Maggi." In 1971, Evita's body was exhumed and flown to Spain, where Juan Perón maintained the corpse in his home. Juan and his third wife, Isabel, decided to keep the corpse on their dining room table. In 1973, Juan Perón came out of exile and returned to Argentina, where he became president for the third time. Perón died in office in 1974.after which  Evita's body returned to Argentina and (briefly) displayed beside Juan Perón's. The body was later buried in the Duarte family tomb in La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.

So to celebrate Evita's birthday, we suggest watching Madonna's impersonation of the former First Lady of Argentina in the film version of the musical Evita (1996), while enjoying the classic Welsh dessert  Pwdin Eva.

Pwdin Eva
 
Ingredients
 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for baking dish
1&1/4 cups all purpose flour
1&1/4 tsp baking powder
Salt
1& 3/4 pounds baking apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and cut
   into 1/8" thick slices
3/4 cup granulated sugar
 		 1 TB fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
Heavy cream, for serving



 
   
Instructions
 
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
  2. Butter an 8 1/2" square baking dish; set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Put apples, 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt into a large bowl; toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water over top; set aside.
  4. Put butter and 6 tablespoons sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle. attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk. Mix until combined.
  5. Spread batter over apples, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until batter is cooked through and juices are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Spoon into dishes; serve drizzled with cream.

 Serves 6-8

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes