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Denmark, Europe · Risalamande (Danish Christmas Rice Pudding)

Vanilla-Bean Risalamande with Brown-Butter Almonds and Spiced Sour Cherry Sauce

Creamy rice pudding layered with vanilla twice over, folded with salty butter-toasted almonds and served with a warm sour cherry sauce scented with cinnamon and lemon.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 5 min
Chilling+ 4 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsContains nuts and dairy. For small children, skip the hidden whole almond and use chopped almonds only.

Method

  1. Put the rice and water in a heavy-based 18 cm saucepan, bring to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring, and let it bubble for , until most of the water is absorbed.

    Add in this stepShort-grain (pudding) rice 55 gWater 70 ml

    medium-high heat

  2. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add half the seeds and the pod to the pan with the milk; keep the rest of the seeds for the cream. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly, then cover, turn down to low heat and cook for , stirring and scraping the bottom every 5 minutes, until the rice is very soft and thick.

    Add in this stepWhole milk 350 mlVanilla pod ¼

    medium heat→low heat

  3. Stir in part of the sugar and the salt and remove the pod. Spread the porridge thinly on a wide tray to cool quickly; fast cooling stops the rice swelling further and keeps its texture. Press baking paper onto the surface and refrigerate for at least .

    Add in this stepSugar 14 gSalt 1 pinch

  4. Set one whole almond aside and chop the rest coarsely. Put the butter and chopped almonds in a small pan on medium-low heat and stir for , until the butter smells nutty and brown and the almonds are golden. Sprinkle with flaky salt, spread on a plate and let them cool completely.

    Add in this stepBlanched almonds 35 gButter 10 gFlaky sea salt 1 pinch

    medium-low heat

  5. Put the frozen cherries, the remaining sugar, the cinnamon stick, lemon zest and juice in a pan and cook on medium heat for , until the cherries release their juice and it reduces a little. Mix the starch with 1 tbsp cold water, stir it in and simmer for , stirring, until glossy and thick. Remove the cinnamon stick.

    Add in this stepFrozen pitted sour cherries 175 gSugar 21 gCinnamon stick ½Lemon (zest and juice) ¼Potato starch 1 tsp

    medium heat

  6. Whip the cold cream with the icing sugar and the reserved vanilla seeds to soft peaks. Loosen the cold rice, mix in two-thirds of the almonds and fold in the cream in two additions. Hide the whole almond, spoon into bowls, scatter over the rest of the almonds and serve with the warm cherry sauce.

    Add in this stepDouble (heavy) cream, cold 120 mlIcing sugar 2 tspVanilla pod ¼

Cook's tip

Frozen sour cherries have the best sweet-tart balance against the rich pudding; if you only find dark sweet cherries, add a little more lemon juice. Let the butter almonds cool completely so they stay crunchy and don't melt the cream.

Cooking it at camp

Make the porridge, butter almonds and cherry sauce at home and carry them in a cooler below 5 °C. At camp, whip the cream by hand in a cold bowl, fold everything together and just warm the sauce on the burner.