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 rice or semolina-based desserts but the thing that got me eating Risalamande was the hidden almond. 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 world’s 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 remember he didn’t even choose the pig as his prize but a box of cigars!
As I grew older I learned to appreciate this Danish rice dessert with cream and almonds and usually left it to my mum to make.
This year I decided to make my own interpretation of my mother’s recipe from a few scribbled notes I’d made 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. The two stipulations that my mother has are that there aren’t too many chopped almonds in the rice pudding (otherwise too bitty) and 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?
As long as 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.
More Scandinavian Christmas Recipes
Here are some more Danish recipes that are made at Christmas:
- 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!
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
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)..
NB: Previously published Dec 2014.
Kirsten Merchant
The almond gift was traditional a macipan pig with a coin in its back. Symbolising the winner would have food and money enough for the coming year
Camilla
Awesome, I never won the pig so didn’t get to see it up close. I saw my mum today and told her about the families where each child was given an almond in their portion and how I felt short changed by my Danish relatives LOL:-)
Sheila Grosgebauer
What is the thinking about adding 1 whole almond?
Thank you. I know it must have a meaning.
Camilla
I assume someone had the idea one day and that it caught on as almonds are an ingredient. Just like the Advent Candle was a Danish invention:-)
Sandra Armes-Harris
The person who gets the whole almond wins a prize. Like the lucky sixpence in Christmas pudding
Janice Pattie
What a lovely tradition to share with your family. It looks so delicious Merry Christmas.
Camilla
Thank you Janice, have a very Merry Christmas too! xx
Amy Fidler
Bet this is delicious x
Camilla
Thanks Amy, it really is:-)
Josefine
Oh yay I love Risalamande 😀 and I loved reading about your Danish traditions and your childhood memories. In our family we also play the almond game in our family! I used to love it when I got it and my sisters where green with envy! Hehe #beinspired
Camilla
Aaw, just me who never won the almond then LOL:-) Do love Risalamande and usually rely on my mum to make it:-)
Martina Evans
Brilliant! I would love to make this for Christmas. My family and I love rice pudding and cherries so this should go down a treat 🙂
Camilla
Thanks:-) I’ve never liked rice pudding and didn’t like this either as a child but I love it now:-)
Ursula Hunt
This has become a favourite dessert in our house
Camilla
Fabulous Ursula, so glad to hear that:-)
Paul Wilson
Looks great for a summer’s eve.
Camilla
Well it’s traditionally a Christmas dish but if you’d like it in summer then who am I to argue:-)
tiggerific1973
I love the sauce idea!
Kirsty Fox
That cherry sauce looks absolutely delicious and a gorgeous colour
brenda heads
It look delicious I will have to give it a try.
Heather Haigh
Looks simply delicious!
Camilla
It really is Heather:-)
Sarah Cooper
Haven’t tried anything like this before. Must try this. 🙂
Camilla
It’s well worth the effort:-)
Lynn Fancy
Sounds delicious! Yet another for my list – you really should do a book you know!
Camilla
Aaw, how lovely of you to say. When I was 18 that was my ambition to be a cookery book writer but blogs didn’t exist back then so I’m making up for lost time doing this now:-) Authors need to be “showmen” too these days, gone are the days of the reclusive writer so I’m not sure that’s me LOL:-)
Mette
Looks like a real Danish ris a la mande – so delicious. I can recommend to add a vanilla pod to the rice and milk from the start when you cook it. Wish you a merry Christmas – and thanks, you’re blog is always such an inspiration to me.
Camilla
Thanks Mette, have a very Merry Christmas too:-)
Ursula Hunt
Didn’t have any cherries but used raspberries and it was delicious
Camilla
Oh fabulous – so glad you enjoyed it. I’m sure raspberries equally good:-)
Jacqueline Meldrum
I do love rice pudding Camilla and I bet it tastes great with that cherry sauce. Thanks for submitting it to No Croutons Required festive round. The roundup is now live
Camilla
Thanks Jacqueline – I beat you to it and left a comment in the small hours LOL:-)
Maya Russell
The sauce looks rich and delicious.
Carole Cambridge
Looks divine… a real step up from my usual rice pudding! I’ll definitely give it a try x
Camilla
Fab:-)
Ursula Hunt
Showed my sister this recipe who got very excited, she really loves rice pudding but unfortunately usually out of a tin, you never know it might tempt her to start cooking 🙂
Camilla
This is like a super pimped up rice pudding and nothing like the usual rice pudding – I’m sure she’d love it:-) I must admit I never usually make ordinary rice pudding but buy the odd tin for hubby – shocking I know but it just doesn’t get me excited, must make more effort as I have the rest of the pudding rice to use up now!
Alica
I must try this, it looks amazing!
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Hayley Mulgrove
Oh wow now this look so yummy, mmmm need this in my life, lol
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Susan Joyce Rogers
Looks great !Interesting to learn about other countries Christmas traditions in cooking
Ursula Hunt
This looks truly delicious
Camilla
It really is:-)
Magda
I have a Danish friend and she was always raving about the Christmas rice pudding. That was probably the dish she looked most to 🙂 She even brought me a proper pudding rice, but I must admit I only used it once. Maybe it is about the time to make some more 🙂
Camilla
Yes there can’t be a Dane who doesn’t like this pudding:-) Hope you manage to give it a go:-)
Samantha Wesley
This looks gorgeous – a must make over Christmas 🙂 Haha loving the fact you have had two Christmases! #niceone
Camilla
Thanks – enjoy:-)
sandy ralph
this looks Delicious i must try this one
Camilla
Thank you, hope you enjoy it:-)
Barbara Handley
I have not heard of this dish before but as soon as all the Christmas food is finished I want to have a go at making it. Looks and sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Camilla
Thanks Barbara, glad to enlighten you:-)
Lisa H
I love rice pudding and this is fab recipe many thanks
sam
super Becca 🙂 the recipe is so nice
Camilla
Becca?
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry
Just dropping in to wish you a merry xmas.
Camilla
Aah thank you and a Happy Christmas to you too Bintu:-)
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:-)