Risalamande – How to make Rice Pudding my Danish Creamy Christmas way 🎄

Home made recipe of Risalamande – the Danish delicious creamy Rice Pudding at Christmas time enhanced over 20+ years (with original inspiration from Claus Meyer) and still keeping up the almond tradition.

I boil, or should I say bake, the rice in the oven as modern way of an old style hay box. Very expensive in power but it works and taste supreme. I have added power savings tips though so Christmas cooking doesn’t make you broke.

Time: app. 60 + 30 min
Difficulty: 2
Kids friendly: yes absolutely – take care regarding chopping.

I make it over two days as is develops more taste and the rice becomes soften.

Ingredients 4 persons

• 140 g rice (porridge rice)
• 1 litre milk (3.5% fat)
• 75 g powdered sugar (secret tip for free)
• salt (less than the tip of a finger nail)
• 1 vanilla stems (and maybe some vanilla sugar too)
• 75-100 g almonds, chopped
• 4 dl double cream (38% fat or more)
  All organic if possible

Equipment

• 1 3 litre pot for boiling (oven friendly) and with thick base out of alloy.
• 1 1 litre pot for boiling almonds.
• 1 2L bowl for mixing the double cream.
• 1 big bowl to join all together 5 litre at least to server it all on the dining table.
• 1 mixer with big wings to get more air into the cream.
• 1 stove (with oven if you like)

 

 

Cooking recipe

The day before task:

1. 1. Rinse the rice in the pot with fresh water. Pour water out.
   2. Add milk to the rice. Slowly heat it up while stirring. We don’t want the rice to burn.Chop vanilla stem while heating up. Add to the pot together with half the sugar and the salt.
   3. Boil rice a few min. Then put them covered in the preheated oven 160° C for 35 – 40 min, or simmering at lowest temp on the stove if its controlled by electronic termo control like infrared heating.
      For power saving you might cover your pot in big plastic bag and place under the duvet in your bed for 4-6 hours, or your sleeping bag if your are outdoor in the wild.
   4. After baked in the oven, let the rice cool down covered. This might very thin but the rice absorb the milk within some hours so don’t worry. (Outdoor cooling goes fine if possible and this is power saving as well).

      Tip: Better make the rice porridge thick as you you can always add more cream or milk to make it liquid later. The reverse is difficult. Use only 8-9 dl milk for the initial boiling.
      When the wood ladle can stand vertical by itself tilting after some seconds this perfect.

      In parallel the same day (kids job)
      

   5. Boil the almonds al dente for about 15-20 min at low temp until the shell become loosen and the centre still is hard and white.
   6. Rub off the shell of the almonds with your fingers.
      (Use cold water to cold shock them and make it handy for your to hold.)
   7. Chop almond in small pieces in the size as you prefer. Save them for the next morning or add it to the porridge now.
   8. Save 2 almonds for the gift ( 1 primary and one in spare). Fold them in alufoil and protect them. Those are precious like diamonds.

      Tip: I have tried place the almonds in dark rum to the next day like in a kind of marinade. Gives an outstanding taste too.
      
      The next day : Make the Whipped Cream
      

   9. Add rest of the sugar and some vanilla sugar to the double cream.
   10. Whip the cream until its like consistency of yogourt to the butter side. Do sample tasting and adjust. Make sure its not too sweet. This can be adjusted later.
   11. Take out the vanilla stem of the boiled rice. Scrape the remain grains out and use it in the boiled rice. Add the almonds to the boiled rice and stir.
   12. Take the whipped cream and gently blend it with the boiled rice. Stir very calm as we still want its fluffy consistency. You may add a bit of sherry or rum. Doing this down into the heavy rice makes sure it not crashes the air out of the whipped cream.

       

   13. Tasting time. Adjust if needed. If it taste like good vanilla ice cream you are on your way. 🤤
   14. Before serving: You have to move the rice pudding to one big bowl that can be placed on the table.
   15. Place it cold either outdoor or in the refrigerator covered with lid, film or alufoil until use. If you place it outside be aware of animals, both the four- and in particular the two-legged seems to have a hungry mouth this evening 😀
   16. Just before serving: add one whole almond only to the bowl while a witness watching. Then
       stir gently so the almond is hidden somewhere in the bowl.  NO TASTING 😇 (the second is just for spare).

Serve it with almond tradition

Here in Denmark we serve this delicious Christmas dessert December 24th evening on small dishes, and let the youngest in the family start fishing a big spoonful from the bowl ending with the elderly (starting is no guarantee for getting the almond).

No one starts  to eat🤞 until everyone have got their portion on their respective dish. Its allowed to take twice or more later.

Now the big game start and you need the best of your 🃏 poker face: When one got the whole almond,  its kept secret and hidden in the mouth to the other, until everything is eaten up and the big bowl is empty! Off course you are allowed to guess and asked each other who got the almond.

Finally the almond gift 🎁 is given after revealing the lucky almond owner. Traditionally  the gift is a marzipan pig depending on the dinner guests.

Often served with organic warm cherry 🍒 sauce on top and cherry liqueur or port in the glass. Also strongly recommendable is Domaine Deveza, Rivesaltes Grenat AOP, Organic.

Tip: Commonly the core rice porridge with milk is made as main meal for the December 23th; “Little Christmas Evening”. Then simply make it separately as the vanilla and sugar goes from beginning of boiling here. It really doesn’t suit otherwise.

Happy Christmas / Velbekomme 🎅