Sweet Peaks of Suspiro de Limeña

With an irresistible layer of dulce de leche custard topped with a port spiked meringue, Suspiro de Limeña is one of the most beloved desserts in Lima, Peru. Tracing its origins to the reputable cook Amparo Ayarez from the early 19th century, this Peruvian parfait has earned its renown as a cultural favorite. Translated to mean "the sigh of a woman (from Lima)", it is believed that this special name was coined by Ayarez’s husband, the famous Peruvian poet and author José Gálvez. When asked what inspired the name, he reportedly replied "because it is soft and sweet like the sigh of a woman". If that statement doesn’t melt your heart, the delectably smooth richness of this dessert surely will.

This classic Peruvian dessert has a clear Spanish influence. The limelight of Suspiro de Limeña, Dulce de Leche, comes from a Spanish dish common in the Middle Ages known as Blancmange. It was a thick custard made from milk, sugar, almonds and flour. The concept of meringue also came to Peru via Spanish colonizers. Despite this Spanish influence, this mouth-watering parfait is distinctly Peruvian.

Add some ethnic flair to your cuisine and impress your friends by preparing these remarkable parfaits yourself. Although time-consuming, Suspiro de Limeña is relatively simple to make. The traditional recipe for dulce de leche uses only milk, sugar and egg yolks, but more modern versions of the dessert use evaporated and sweetened condensed canned milks. Suspiro de Limeña is sweet, creamy and unbelievably rich. It will spark an explosion of flavor and texture and elicit a sigh of pure pleasure.

The recipe below is found in our favorite Peruvian cookbook: The Art of Peruvian Cuisine by Tony Custer. This book is not only a gastronomical wonder abounding with authentic recipes, it is a feast for the eyes with a smorgasbord of beautiful photographs. Even though the book is no longer in print, we harbor a limited supply at our retail stores. If you are interested in snagging one of these foodie gems, please call our Customer Service department at (800) 221-8520 and an agent will be happy to assist you. I hope you feel as inspired to delve into the Peruvian culinary arts as I do!

Ingredients:

-1 can evaporated milk (14 1 /2 oz)

-1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

-8 egg yolks

-1 cup port wine

-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

-4 eggs whites

-ground cinnamon for dusting

To prepare the caramel:

Combine the two milks in a heavy-based pan and simmer gently over low heat, stirring continually with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and the spoon leaves tracks across the bottom of the pan, about 1 hour.

Take off the heat and whisk in beaten egg yolks. Leave to cool and then pour into shallow dessert bowl or individual serving cups.

To prepare the syrup (for the meringue):

Combine sugar and port in a small pan and boil until syrup forms an unbroken thread when dropped from the spoon.

To prepare the meringue:

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Continue beating, adding hot syrup in a slow steady stream.

Mound the meringue on top of the caramel mixture and dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Enjoy!

(For more Peruvian recipes, see the newsletter section of our website, or see our latest recipe for empanadas.)

--Amanda Hart

Bring on those alpaca sweaters!

Peruvian Connection's Kansas headquarters on Dec. 30

Most winters I find that my closet of warm and woolly alpaca sweaters does not see as much use as it deserves.  With thermostats set on 70 and typically mild winters, my warmest sweaters spent most of their days in dark seclusion, waiting for their day in the sun.  This winter, however, has been different, with record lows and snowfalls.  All around the PC headquarters, employees are donning their warmest alpaca sweaters, scarves and pima t-necks.

Now I'm thinking I need more alpaca sweaters, like the cozy handknit Terrazzo Cardigan,  and perhaps a hat like the Snow Queen Cap, or even a cape to throw on over it all, like the Alchemy Cape.

 

A Peruvian Christmas

Peru may seem a world away, but the Western traditions of Christmas will be highly recognizable. Even though Christmas actually occurs during the summer months in Peru, Santa Claus, known as Papa Noel, is still depicted as a jolly white-haired man wearing a large red coat, gloves and a hat. The western influence is obvious, but many aspects of the holiday have been melded with decidedly Peruvian features.

With nearly 75% of the population identifying with Catholicism, the celebration of the birth of Jesus is an important event. The rural context of the nativity scene makes it especially identifiable to the people of Peru. On December 24th, known as "Noche Buena", people flock to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco for the annual Santuranticuy market, which literally means "buying of the saints". Artisans fill the street with handmade figurines, including Jesus, Mary, Joseph, angels and shepherds, carved from Huamanga stone, gourds, glass or even wood. Retablos, wooden boxes with a carved image of the nativity scene inside, are also wildly popular. Most families traditionally buy the pieces for their nativity scenes at this market, keeping them on display until the celebrations on January 6th.

Another distinct feature of Peruvian Christmas is the practice of "chocolatadas". During the week of Christmas, especially on the 24th, it is common for families, churches and organizations to offer cups of hot chocolate to those less fortunate. Chocolatadas are a celebration of togetherness and selfless giving.

After the preparation of the nativity scene, families return home for a grand Christmas Eve dinner, often replete with an all too familiar turkey, wine and a fruit filled bread known as Paneton. At midnight, fireworks light up the sky and dancing fills the street. The Christmas celebration continues through the week until la Bajada de los Reyes, "the arrival of the three wise men", on January 6th. Following the tradition of the three wise men, people typically exchange gifts on this day.

With Christmas only a couple weeks away, we want to wish everyone, from North and South, a Happy Holiday! Be sure to check out our fabulous gift-gallery or to give the gift of hope, consider an altruistic donation to the Pro Mujer foundation, which helps empower and support women in Peru.  You can help support ProMujer with the purchase of a silky-soft Baby Llama Throw, with all proceeds benefitting ProMujer, or by sending them a tax deductible donation.
¡Feliz Navidad!

--Amanda Hart

Seeing Red

What is it about red that attracts people? The hottest of all the warm-spectrum colors, red is emotionally intense and physically stimulating, the color of fire, energy, strength and vitality. Red motivates, red stirs the blood, commands attention—it even raises human metabolism. Red represents passion, power, love, danger and glamour. Celebrities saunter down red carpets; politicians and business magnates don red power ties; rich playboys cruise around in cherry-red Ferraris. Joyous revelers paint the town in this selfsame color. Red is high visibility—which is why fire engines, stop signs and stoplights are represented by it. It’s also the color most often chosen by extroverts. In short, red is not for the shy and retiring.

Red makes a splashy statement throughout the calendar year. From romantic valentines in February to summer’s ripe berries and flowers to the rust red leaves of autumn to Santa’s festive holiday get-up, red makes the rounds in high style.

Culturally, red has potent symbolism all over the world. In China, red represents happiness and good fortune; brides wear red dresses, and special red packets are used during the Chinese New Year to wrap monetary gifts. Both the Greeks and the Hebrews associated the color with love. In India, where it denotes marriage and purity, women wear red saris when they wed. In Central Africa, Ndembu warriors rub themselves with red during celebrations, since the color symbolizes life and health. The first major chakra. or energy center, of the body (called Muladhara in Sanskrit) corresponds to survival, instinct and sexuality and is represented by the color red.

Red has quite a colorful history in the world of fashion as well. Many centuries ago, ancient Mexicans produced a brilliant red dye from the cochineal insect, which lived on the cactus plant. In the early 16th century, the dye was "discovered" by Spanish conquistadors in the Aztec marketplace; it was shipped back to Europe, where no one had ever seen such a gorgeous shade of crimson. Because it was such an elusive and expensive color to produce, red was only worn by the very wealthy, and this continued to be the case for centuries. King Louis XIV of France was a fan, habitually painting the heels of his shoes bright red (some 350 years before shoe designer Christian Louboutin’s scarlet soles!). This heel-painting trend caught on with the rest of the nobles of his time. In some countries, like Japan, wearing red was reserved for people of high status; it was forbidden for commoners to wear it.

In her autobiography, D.V. (a must read, by the way!), Diana Vreeland—the 20th century’s most influential arbiter of fashion and taste—said: "Red is the great clarifier—bright, cleansing, and revealing. It makes all other colors beautiful. I can’t imagine becoming bored with red—it would be like becoming bored with the person you love."

Red makes a bold appearance at PC in all its deep and dramatic hues this season—from the Viennese Sweater Coat to the Volterra Skirt to the racy Fulton Street Jacket.

**For more on the fascinating history of red, read A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire, by Amy Butler Greenfield.

--Jane Driesen

And the winner is...

MaryAnne Lauderdale of San Jose, California was the lucky winner of Peruvian Connection’s grand-prize shopping spree. The prize included a free trip (air and hotel) to Washington, DC, plus a $1,000 Peruvian Connection gift card to enjoy at our flagship store in downtown DC. MaryAnne and her husband had a great time in Washington, where they visited the Ford Theater as well as the Newseum. And, of course, she loved trying on all of the clothes at Peruvian Connection, and came away with some beautiful outfits.

Here she models a couple of her glamourous favorites, the Victorian Corset Blouse and the Faubourg Dress.

Congratulations, MaryAnne!

Even Abe Shops PC

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood when two of Washington's Penn Quarter businesses teamed up to promote the area's rich history. Neighboring PC's flagship store in Washington, DC are the historic Ford's Theatre and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  Always the ultimate salesperson, PC's manager made sure Honest Abe had our latest catalog for his holiday shopping.

Race For The Cure

Forty-one Peruvian Connection employees participated in the 15th annual Komen Kansas City Race for the Cure on Sunday, Aug 10.  Nearly 25,000 survivors, family and friends walked, trotted and ran for the cure and raised over 1.2 million dollars.  Sweat, laughter, panting and an overall-good-feeling was had by all.

If you would like to donate to the cause then click here.
If you would like to find a race in a city near you then click here.

Humble Beginnings

Sometimes dusting off relics from the past can be a satisfying way to appreciate the present. It allows you to see the journey from a new perspective.  Back in the day (32 years ago to be specific), Annie and her mother Biddy began their small artisan-made alpaca sweater business from their own kitchen table. Inspired by Annie's anthropology research on women in the Andean marketplaces of Peru, they created a small catalog with Annie doing everything from designing, modeling, photography and writing the copy, while Biddy took care of the packaging and shipping of orders and managing the growing rolodex of potential customers. 

The above image is an insert from their 1980 digest-size catalog.  Penned entirely by Annie, the "Field Sketches" style of this page looks as if it could have been inspired by the journal of Hiram Bingham himself, a nod to Annie's own anthropology background. 

To read more about how Peruvian Connection began, click here.

Working Model

Peruvian Connection (L)    DDF ad campaign (R)

Now that New York Fashion Week has ended I'm again reminded of the importance of a good model.  We have been fortunate to feature a variety of accomplished models over the years but I thought I would introduce you to one of our shining stars who played an important role in our Resort 2008 line.

Born in the Netherlands, our 5' 11" ingenue won the 1998 Elite Model Look Contest.  A fast and successful career began and she was courted by top designers throughout the world for print and runway.  Above, DDF (a skincare line) found her porcelain skin and freckled nose as charming as we did and her statuesque form certainly lent additional grace to our new spring designs.

Model is wearing above:

Sisal Back Bow Hat

Wide Painted Bangle

Thin Painted Bangle

Flat Painted Bangle

Ice Blue Petal Crochet Bag