Suspiro a la Limeña

About This Recipe

Suspiro a la Limeña ('Sigh of the Lima Lady') is one of Peru's most romantic and beloved desserts — a base of rich, caramel-like manjar blanco (Peruvian dulce de leche) topped with a fluffy port wine-flavored Italian meringue, dusted with cinnamon. The contrast of dense caramel and airy meringue is poetry on a spoon. Served in elegant glasses, it's a fixture at Lima dinner parties.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 cansweetened condensed milk (395g)
• 1 canevaporated milk (354g)
• 5egg yolks
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 cupsugar (for meringue)
• 1/3 cupwater
• 1/4 cupport wine
• 3egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 tspcream of tartar
• 1 tbspground cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make manjar blanco

   Combine condensed milk and evaporated milk in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, for 30-40 minutes until thick, golden, and reduced by half. Should coat back of spoon thickly.

2. 2

   Add yolks

   Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in egg yolks and vanilla. Return to low heat for 3-5 minutes until thickened further. Don't boil — it will scramble eggs.

3. 3

   Cool

   Pour manjar blanco into 6 small serving glasses or wide bowl. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate 1 hour.

4. 4

   Make port syrup

   Combine sugar, water, and port wine in saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook until syrup reaches 115°C (soft ball stage) on candy thermometer, about 8 minutes.

5. 5

   Whip whites

   While syrup cooks, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

6. 6

   Make Italian meringue

   With mixer running on medium, drizzle hot syrup slowly into egg whites. Increase speed to high. Whip 5-7 minutes until thick, glossy, and cooled.

7. 7

   Top desserts

   Pipe or spoon meringue generously over chilled manjar blanco.

8. 8

   Decorate and serve

   Dust generously with cinnamon. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 6 hours before serving.

Variations

• •

  Replace port with sherry or rum.

• •

  Add chocolate ganache layer between manjar and meringue.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days. Meringue may weep slightly with time.

Frequently Asked Questions