Traditional Risalamande (Danish Rice Pudding) with Cherry Sauce is a creamy and delicious rice pudding laced with sherry and almonds, served with a sweet, warm cherry sauce.
The History of Risalamande
Risalamande finds it origins in the French Ris à l’amande and has been served on Christmas Eve in Denmark since around 1900.
A Personal History of Risalamande
As I am half Danish I remember always feeling quite lucky as a child to have two Christmas celebrations! The first was on Christmas Eve where we had a traditional Danish meal usually with goose or duck and Risalamand. This was followed by singing Danish songs (mum playing piano) and dancing around the Christmas tree which was lit with traditional white candles (never a problem)!
Then we’d open our presents and often go off to the midnight service (when I got a bit older). The next day we’d go to my English grandparents and have a traditional English Christmas meal (always turkey and my gran’s homemade Christmas Pudding) and more presents.
As a child I didn’t like any rice or semolina based desserts but the thing that got me eating Risalamande was the hidden almond because if you found that you won a prize!
I remember one particular Christmas eve at one of my aunt’s houses in Denmark one of the prizes was a gorgeous marzipan pig!
Being the worlds No 1 marzipan fan I’d have done anything to win it. I must have eaten 3 bowls of Risalamande but to no avail, sadly my morfar (grandad) was the lucky winner.
I seem to remember he didn’t even choose the pig as his prize but a box of cigars!
Anyway as I grew older I learned to appreciate Danish rice dessert with cream and almonds and have usually left it to my mum to make. This year I decided to make my own interpretation of my mother’s recipe which was a few scribbled notes I’d make many years ago.
My observations on making Danish Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce
After a couple of trials I am happy with this version as my hubby was a great critic telling me that my first attempt wasn’t like my mother’s version!
It also didn’t help that the frozen cherries I bought for my first attempt were sour (which I didn’t notice until after I’d cooked them). So check the packaging when purchasing, you need sweet cherries!
Every Dane has their version of Risalamande and the two stipulations that my mother has are that there aren’t too many chopped almonds in the rice pudding (otherwise too bitty) and also that it isn’t too sweet as the cherry sauce provides the sweet contrast to the creamy rice pudding.
How long will Risalamande keep for?
Providing your cream is very fresh, then Risalamande and the cherry sauce will keep for 2 – 3 days in the fridge. Check the use by date on your cream.
For more Scandinavian Christmas recipe inspiration check out:
- Danish Apple Cake (Aeblekage)
- Cheat’s Danish Apple Cake (Gammeldags Æblekage)
- Danish Vanilla Wreaths (Vanille Kranse)
- Finsk Brød (Finnish Shortbread)
- Danish Fedtebrød – Coconut Cookie Slices with Rum Glaze
- Hallon Cookies
- Bestmore’s Kransakake
Pin for later!
It just remains for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas or Glædelig Jul!
xx
NB: Previously published Dec 2014.
Risalamande (Danish Rice Pudding) with Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
- For the Risalamand:
- 1 L Full fat milk
- 100 g Pudding rice (or arborio rice)
- 2 tablespoon Caster sugar I keep a vanilla pod in mine
- 2 tablespoon Sherry
- 15 g Flaked almonds chopped
- 1 whole almond
- 250 ml Whipping cream
- Flaked almonds to decorate optional
- For the Cherry Sauce:
- 350 g Frozen cherries
- 400 ml Water
- 80 g Caster sugar
- 2 tablespoon High juice blackcurrant squash or cordial
- 1 ½ tablespoon Potato flour or cornflour
- 1 ½ tablespoon Ice cold water
Instructions
- For Risalamande:
- Put milk into a non-stick pan and bring to almost simmering point – add the rice.
- Keeping the heat low (probably lowest setting) cook the rice for 30 minutes with the lid on stirring at regular intervals. (Very important not to burn).
- Then remove lid and cook for further 15 – 20 minutes simmering and stirring until rice is cooked and porridge like.
- Once cooked stir in the caster sugar, sherry and chopped almonds into the rice porridge.
- Put in a bowl to cool and then refrigerate until chilled. (Overnight is fine).
- Whip the cream into soft peaks
- Fold a little cream into the rice porridge to loosen it and then carefully fold the rest of the cream in, then add the whole almond.
- Place in a glass serving dish and decorate with a few flaked almonds if wished and put back in fridge to thoroughly chll..
- For Cherry Sauce:
- Put the cherries, water, sugar and blackcurrant squash in a pan, bring to the boil then turn down heat to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Mix the potato flour and 2 tbsp ice cold water together to form a paste and lowering the heat stir into the cherries cooking for another minute to thicken.
- Take off the heat, put in a bowl and serve with the Risalamande warm or cold (any leftover sauce can be re-heated)..
Charlotte Arnott
This looks like a lovely traditional dish. I’m tempted to try it in the New Year when all of the biscuits and chocolates have been eaten!
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Sarah Maison Cupcake
Wow I love cherries, this looks so festive!
Camilla
Thanks Sarah:-)
William Gould
Wow it looks good! Reminds me of a hot cherry pie and ice cream I had in an American-style diner many years ago, and never since!
Camilla
Thanks:-)
Paul Wilson
Looks great.
Camilla
Thanks Paul:-)
Sarah (@tamingtwins)
This made me smile so much Camilla. I have a very vivid memory from when I was probably only 6 or 7 of our lovely Danish neighbour (who died many years ago now) coming to call on my Mum on Christmas Eve in a total panic needing a single whole blanched almond. I never quite understood why and it remained a mystery until now! The pudding looks beautiful and sounds delicious. Thanks for linking to #festivefoodfriday and happy Christmas!
Camilla
LOL Sarah so glad to finally lay to rest that “almond mystery”! Thank you for your kind words and have a lovely Christmas too:-)
Janice
ooh all that cream would make it really lovely. I like rice pudding, but would always bake it as I like the toffee like skin. Love that you had two Christmasses, the more the merrier when you are a child!
Camilla
Thanks Janice – have a very Merry Christmas:-)
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Hahaha – the marzipan pig! At the Norway Seafood event earlier this month there was a marzipan pig in our goodie bags which baffled many until it was explained that marzipan pigs are “a thing” in Scandi countries 😉 Not a massive fan of rice pudding but I would eat this for the cherry sauce alone… Thanks for linking to me!
Camilla
LOL Jeanne! It’s completely a million miles away from traditional rice pudding as it’s so very creamy and the cherry sauce is just a delicious sweet contrast to the creaminess:-)
Rajveer
It is amazing recipe. I have bookmarked it. I ll try it.
Camilla
Thank you, hope you enjoy it:-)
Rajveer
Hey Camilla,
your recipes are really nice. Writing about food is extremely awesome. I usually like to taste worlds best foods.
Thank you so much! I want to cook different types of recipes.
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Elizabeth
What a super read! Lucky you to have had two Christmases every year! 😀 Lovely sounding recipe and your photos are lovely!
Camilla
Aah thank you Elizabeth:-)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
This looks lovely! That cherry sauce looks absolutely irresistible. I love the idea of having two Christmases 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Becca:-) Yes I had the best of both worlds as a kid:-)