Leche Merengada with Cinnamon and Lemon

Set out a wide container suitable for freezing, roughly 25 × 20 cm with a capacity of at least 1.5 l, a mixer with whisk attachments and four glasses with a capacity of about 300 ml each. Check the pasteurized egg-white package to make sure the product is intended for whipping and consumption without heating; prepare the whites for whipping according to the product instructions while the milk is freezing. Wash the lemon and use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of peel from half of it, without the bitter white pith. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add 55 g sugar, the peel and the whole cinnamon stick, then heat over medium heat for about 5–8 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves, the milk begins to steam and small bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Strain the milk into the wide container and remove the peel and cinnamon stick. The milk should form a layer about 1.5–2 cm deep so it cools more easily and freezes evenly. Let cool for about 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the milk is completely cold. Only then begin freezing.

Place the container in a freezer set to about −20°C and freeze for about 2–3 hours. About every 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape the freezing milk from the edges and bottom, break up the crystals and mix them into the liquid portion. Stop when the entire mixture has the consistency of a fine, moist granita without large pieces of ice, not a hard block. If the milk freezes faster, break it up sooner; leave the finished granita in the freezer for the short time needed to whip the foam.

Prepare the measured liquid pasteurized egg whites according to the package instructions and place them in a dry bowl with no traces of grease; the product must be intended for whipping and eating without further heating. Beat with a mixer on medium speed and, once white foam appears, add the remaining 20 g sugar in several additions. Beat for about 5 minutes total, until the foam is glossy and forms soft peaks that bend slightly at the tips. Do not keep beating until it becomes dry and lumpy, and do not substitute raw egg whites from eggs in their shells.

Take out the granita and briefly break up any larger crystals with a fork again. Fold in about one third of the foam with a spatula, then add the rest in two additions, gently lifting the mixture from the bottom upward. Stop when the drink is evenly aerated, with fine crystals and without large clumps of foam; do not use the mixer again so you do not destroy the light texture. Proceed immediately to serving.

Divide the mixture evenly among four glasses, one per serving. Share the ground cinnamon among all the portions and lightly dust the tops. Serve immediately with teaspoons while the drink is still cold and light, with fine ice crystals.