I made this recipe for a Peruvian dinner party I hosted with my friend Chef Luis Martinez at his restaurant in Houston, undoubtedly one of the most famous desserts in Perú. Although not a colonial dessert, it combines very characteristic flavors and methods. We served it with Alfajores de Maicena, a delicious combination.
What is Suspiro Limeño?
Suspiro Limeño is a combination of two sweet, soft layers: the base layer is Manjar Blanco (a special homemade dulce de leche) and meringue. A light dusting of cinnamon is also expected. It’s very sweet, so it is always served in small portions. In many Latin countries, coffee is served with the dessert, not before or after, making it a great combination.
Limeño is the name given to the people who live in Lima, Perú’s capital.
Is Suspiro Limeño the most popular Peruvian dessert?
If you ask for restaurant dessert, yes, probably Suspiro Limeño is the most popular. Other traditional dessert are mazamorra morada, arroz con leche, picarones y más.
Suspiro Limeño will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. The meringue loses texture the longer it is refrigerated, so it is best served the same day.
The recipe is adapted from the book on Peruvian cuisine by Emilio Peschiera and the Peruvian blog Peru Delights.
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Peruvian Suspiro de Limeña
A luscious dessert.
- Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Yield: 6
Ingredients
- 1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk
- 1 can (14 oz) condensed milk
- 3 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup sweet wine, port, or marsala
- ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- Combine the evaporated milk and condensed milk in a pan with a thick base. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it caramelizes and has the same color as dulce the Leche (45 minutes). At first, you can stir occasionally, but during the last 15 minutes, it’s advisable to stir constantly. It will thicken, and when you move the spoon, you can see the bottom of the pan for a few seconds. Lower the heat to a minimum.
- In a bowl, beat the yolks for 30 seconds with a hand whisk. Slowly add one ladle of the cooked milk mix in a continuous thread, stirring all the time. Then add the yolks with the milk back to the pan, stirring vigorously. Manjar Blanco is now ready.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Distribute the manjar blanco in the glasses you are serving them in.
- Prepare a Bain Marie. Place the sugar, egg whites, and wine in a bowl, and cook over Bain Marie, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat.
- Beat the egg whites with a mixer to obtain a silky and bright meringue. Keep over the Bain Marie to use the residual heat.
- Pipe or spoon over manjar blanco and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Refrigerate or serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove-cooked
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 446
- Sugar: 73.7 g
- Sodium: 181.7 mg
- Fat: 9.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 79.9 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 12.6 g
How much condensed milk and evaporated milk should I put in? I would like to make this, but I don’t want to put in too much
Use the whole can for both.
The evaporated milk is 12 fl oz, condensed milk 14 oz.
Good luck.