Ris a la mande
Ris a la mande is a sweet, traditional Danish dessert is typically served at Christmas in Denmark. It's rich, creamy and best served chilled with a cherry compote or a caramel drizzle.
This has become one of my favourite desserts in recent years. Not only is it so easy to make, but it also stores well in the fridge. You can actually sneak a bite or two for a few days after Christmas.
The tradition of eating rice pudding on Christmas
For as long as I can remember, my family on my father's side has gathered for lunch on Christmas Eve. This is one of my favourite traditions. We would exchange gifts and Christmas cards and wish each other a happy Christmas. The whole family would then sit down and enjoy a warm rice pudding together.
My grandmother made a big pot of Rice Pudding and hid an almond in it. Then everybody would get a plate and eat their pudding. The one who got the almond had to wait to tell until the last person had stopped eating. For the children, this was always the most exciting part. The person with the almond always got a gift, usually a chocolate treat, which he or she would then share with the others.
Unfortunately, my grandmother can no longer make the rice pudding. But that doesn't stop the family from getting together, as now her children take turns hosting the lunch. Now, my grandmother gets to sit and enjoy the porridge with her children and grandchildren—hopefully for many years to come.
I will always have warm memories of this Christmas lunch; it somehow marks the start of the Christmas festivities. Now that we no longer live in Iceland, we make our traditions. I make vegan rice pudding, and we still have it for lunch on Christmas Eve.
Great use of leftovers
Making rice pudding for Christmas is very clever. I always make a little extra and put it straight into a container. This will be our Ris a la mande for dessert on the Second Day of Christmas. Then, I have to whip the cream, add the almonds, and have a quick and easy dessert. My top secret, though, is that I buy the cherry compote, and I usually always have some leftover caramel sauce from the desserts from the days before.
Rich, creamy Ris a la mande, best served chilled with a cherry compote or a caramel drizzle.
- 1 cup Pudding rice
- 1 1/4 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 l Soy milk
- 1/2 tbsp Vanilla
- 1/2 cup Coconut cream
- 1/2 tbsp Vegan butter
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 cup Whipped plant-based cream
- 50 g flaked almonds
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- Prepare the rice pudding by pouring the rice into a pot and bring to a boil with the water.
- Add salt and the soy milk(or other plant-milk option) and allow to simmer on low heat until you have a creamy texture. It usually takes about 40-60 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Take the rice pudding off the heat, add coconut cream, vegan butter and vanilla and stir well, Allow to sit for about 30 minutes with the lid on.
- Transfer the rice pudding to a container and place in the fridge until completely cold (for a few hours or overnight).
- Whip the cream and fold in the rice pudding. Add the flaked almonds and more vanilla and sugar if needed. Combine everything well together.
- Serve with cherry compote or caramel sauce.