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Risalamande
Rice pudding with cherry sauce
Danish Christmas rice pudding with whipped cream, chopped almonds and hot cherry sauce
On Christmas Eve, almost every Danish family ends dinner with risalamande, a cold vanilla rice pudding lightened with whipped cream and chopped almonds and served with a hot cherry sauce poured over the top. Hidden somewhere in the bowl is one whole almond, and whoever finds it wins the mandelgave, the almond prize, usually a marzipan pig. Some finders keep the almond in their cheek until everyone has eaten far too much. The rice base, risengrød, is often cooked on 23 December, eaten warm with butter and cinnamon, and the leftovers become risalamande the next night. Chef's tip: let the rice pudding cool completely before folding in the cream; warm rice melts the whipped cream and the pudding turns heavy instead of airy.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the rice (risengrød)
- 5 ½ oz pudding riceor Arborio
- ¾ cup water
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 vanilla podsplit
- 1 pinch salt
For the pudding
- 3 ½ oz blanched almondsplus 1 whole almond
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 ¼ cups double creamcold
For the cherry sauce (kirsebærsauce)
- 1 ½ lb pitted morello cherries in juiceone jar
- 1 ½ tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp caster sugaror to taste
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz pudding rice and ¾ cup water in a heavy pan over a medium heat and boil for 2 minutes, until the water is mostly absorbed.
2 minStep 2: Add 4 ¼ cups whole milk, 1 vanilla pod (seeds scraped in, pod too) and 1 pinch salt. Bring to the boil, stirring, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover and cook for 35–40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom. Rice catches easily; if you smell scorching, do not scrape the base into the pudding.
40 minStep 3: It is done when the grains are completely soft and the pudding is thick and creamy, like loose porridge. Remove the vanilla pod, spread in a bowl, cover and chill completely, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Set aside one whole almond from 3 ½ oz blanched almonds. Chop the rest finely, but not to a powder; Danes like a little crunch.
Step 5: Stir 3 tbsp caster sugar and the chopped almonds into the cold rice, loosening it with a spoon. Whip 1 ¼ cups double cream to soft peaks and fold it in in two goes until evenly mixed and airy.
Step 6: Tuck the whole almond into the pudding and smooth the top. Chill until serving.
Step 7: For the sauce, drain the juice from 1 ½ lb pitted morello cherries in juice into a pan. Mix 1 ½ tbsp cornflour with 2 tablespoons of the juice, then whisk it into the pan with 2 tbsp caster sugar. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring, until thickened and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the cherries and heat through.
4 minStep 8: Spoon the cold pudding into bowls and pour the hot cherry sauce over at the table. Whoever finds the whole almond wins the prize.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does risalamande take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of pudding rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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