Suspiro Limeño — Peruvian 'sigh of Lima' caramel cream with meringue
Suspiro limeño — "sigh of Lima" — is the canonical Peruvian dessert: a thick, dark dulce-de-leche-and-yolk cream topped with a tall billow of port-perfumed Italian meringue, finished with a dust of cinnamon. The combination of intensely sweet caramel cream and almost-savoury meringue is the whole point.
i. Origin & history
Suspiro limeño is associated with the poet José Gálvez Barrenechea, who reportedly named it for his wife Amparo Ayarza. It is the most-prized dessert of Lima and the broader Peruvian creole kitchen.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 400 g dulce de leche (or manjar blanco)
- 400 g sweetened condensed milk
- 250 ml whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 egg whites
- 200 g caster sugar
- 60 ml port wine
- Ground cinnamon to dust
iii. Method
- Cook dulce de leche, condensed milk and whole milk over low heat 15 min, stirring, until very thick.
- Off heat, beat in yolks one at a time and vanilla. Cool slightly. Pour into glasses; chill 2 hours.
- Make Italian meringue: cook 150 g sugar with 60 ml water to 118 °C. Whip whites; pour syrup in a thin stream while whipping; whip until cool and stiff. Whisk in port.
- Pipe meringue over the caramel cream. Dust with cinnamon.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Suspiro de chirimoya uses cherimoya purée. Suspiro de fresa uses strawberry. Modern variations use lúcuma or maracuyá.
vi. Common questions
What is suspiro limeño?
Suspiro Limeño is peruvian 'sigh of lima' caramel cream with meringue, from latin american cuisine. The combination of intensely sweet caramel cream and almost-savoury meringue is the whole point
Where is suspiro limeño from?
Suspiro Limeño is from the latin american dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does suspiro limeño keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 2 days refrigerated.