Peruvian Suspiro a la Limeña

Why you’ll love it

• Elegant and impressive in individual glasses.
• Few ingredients: milk, eggs, sugar and port.
• No oven needed.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the manjar blanco

• 1 can (12 oz / 354 ml) evaporated milk
• 1 can (14 oz / 397 g) sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the port meringue

• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) port wine
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• Ground cinnamon, to finish

Step-by-step method

1. Cook the milks. In a heavy saucepan, combine the evaporated and condensed milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, 20–25 minutes, until it thickens and you can see the bottom of the pan when you drag the spoon.

2. Add the yolks. Remove from the heat. Whisk the yolks in a bowl, add a few spoonfuls of the hot milk to temper them, then stir everything back into the pan. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Fill the glasses. Divide the manjar among 8 small glasses. Let cool, then refrigerate.

4. Make the port syrup. In a small saucepan, boil the sugar and port until it reaches soft-ball stage, 240°F (115°C), about 5–7 minutes. It should form a thin thread when dripped from a spoon.

5. Make the meringue. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Beat 5–7 minutes, until the meringue is thick, glossy and cool.

6. Finish. Pipe or spoon the meringue over each glass, dust with cinnamon and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Tips for the best result

• Keep stirring the milk: it scorches easily on the bottom.
• Pour the syrup slowly so it cooks the whites and the meringue stays stable.
• No port? Use sweet red wine or orange juice.

Storage

Refrigerate covered up to 3 days.