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Experience the tradition behind Risalamande, Denmark’s classic Christmas dessert.
In this video, I explore where this creamy rice-and-almond dish comes from, how it became a beloved part of the Danish holiday table, and why families look forward to finding the “hidden almond” every year.
You’ll learn:
• The origins of Risalamande in 19th-century Denmark
• How it became tied to Christmas Eve celebrations
• The symbolism of the whole almond and the “almond gift”
• Why this dessert is still so treasured today
• How it differs from rice pudding and other holiday sweets
Recipe link: https://www.daringgourmet.com/risalamande-danish-almond-rice-pudding-with-cherry-sauce/
Whether you’re interested in Scandinavian food traditions, researching Christmas desserts around the world, or just love learning about cozy holiday dishes, this video brings the charm and nostalgia of Risalamande to life.
New historic + cultural food videos every week. Subscribe to join the journey.
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0:00
[Music]
0:02
Welcome to Cooking 100-year-old Recipes.
0:05
In this video, I'm making Rhysa Miland,
0:08
the creamy Danish Christmas dessert
0:10
that's so beloved, it comes with its own
0:13
game, its own prize, and even a little
0:15
bit of drama.
0:19
[Music]
0:27
But before I cook, let's talk about
0:29
where this very old tradition came from.
0:32
Because Riza Milan actually began as a
0:35
luxury dish. Rice wasn't grown in
0:37
Denmark. So in the 1700s and early
0:40
1800s, anything made with rice was
0:43
expensive and rare. The earliest Danish
0:47
rice dishes were simple. Just cooked
0:49
rice. just rice cooked in milk called
0:53
Reisenrod, a Christmas Eve treat for
0:55
families who could afford it. But
0:58
everything changed in the late 1800s.
1:02
Around this time, imported rice became
1:04
more affordable and Danish cooks started
1:07
experimenting.
1:09
Inspired by French cuisine, particularly
1:12
their rice and cream desserts, Danes
1:15
developed a richer, more elegant version
1:17
by folding whipped cream into cold rice
1:20
porridge and topping it with a warm
1:22
cherry sauce. This new dish was named
1:26
Riza Milan from the French Ree alamond,
1:29
meaning rice with almonds. It felt
1:31
indulgent, festive, and modern. Perfect
1:35
for Christmas.
1:38
And that leads us to the most famous
1:40
part of the tradition, the hidden
1:42
almond. In the late 19th and early 20th
1:46
centuries, families began placing one
1:49
whole almond in the bowl. Whoever found
1:52
it called a mandrae, an almond gift,
1:56
often a small toy, marzapon pig, or a
1:59
little prize. But here's the twist.
2:02
You're not supposed to tell anyone if
2:05
you've found it.
2:07
You have to keep eating and keep the
2:09
secret while everyone else desperately
2:11
tries to get the almond. It's part
2:14
dessert and part detective game.
2:17
Today, Riz Milan is still served across
2:20
Denmark on Christmas Eve. It represents
2:22
comfort, abundance, and a little playful
2:25
competition. And whether you're hunting
2:28
for the almond or just enjoying that
2:30
delicious sweet cherry sauce, it's a
2:32
dessert that brings people together year
2:35
after year. All right. So, for the rice
2:37
pudding portion of this, we need the
2:41
following. And I'm, you know, crossing
2:44
fingers.
2:46
I have I love rice pudding, I have never
2:48
had luck making rice pudding. That said,
2:51
I've only tried two or three times in my
2:53
whole life. And while I make perfect
2:55
regular rice, I think there's a trick to
2:58
the rice pudding. Uh, but we're going to
3:00
try. The recipe I'm following is from a
3:03
creator who I've always enjoyed her
3:05
recipe, so I wanted to go with hers.
3:08
We've got sugar, two tablespoons,
3:10
aroreio rice,
3:13
it's the risoto style rice, cup and a/4
3:16
of water, four cups of milk, almond
3:19
extract, and then blanched almond. So,
3:22
we want this to just stay really light
3:24
looking, right? And the blanched almonds
3:26
aren't going to have the skins that will
3:27
discolor our rice pudding. And then I'm
3:30
using my clear vanilla just to keep the
3:33
rice pudding as white as possible so
3:35
that the cherries that the vibrant
3:38
beautiful cherry sauce really looks like
3:40
cherries in the snow. And then lemon.
3:43
I'm going to zest the lemon and get this
3:46
cooking. So cross fingers. Bear with me.
3:48
I've got a wrist issue and my cat got
3:51
me. I'm a mess. My cat got me last night
3:53
playing.
3:55
We're going to make it work, though.
3:56
Okay, let's get cooking. All right. So,
3:59
we've got the one cup of rice, 1/4
4:02
teaspoon of salt,
4:06
[Music]
4:12
1 and 1/4 cups of water. Let me just
4:14
double check my measurement. Yep.
4:20
Sugar.
4:23
That's two tablespoons. I think I
4:25
mentioned that earlier. And then
4:28
two teaspoon of lemon zest.
4:32
I've already washed this.
4:36
And then I'm going to save the inside
4:38
for something else that you will see
4:41
some point on the channel.
4:46
And then just get the yellow. We don't
4:48
want the white
4:50
pith.
5:27
So, it's coming to the boil now. I still
5:29
have it on medium heat.
5:32
And then once it comes to the boil, it's
5:33
got to be covered and then simmered for
5:36
about half an hour thereabouts.
5:40
There we go. So, I'm going to turn it
5:42
right down to low and put the cover on
5:45
it. I feel like this is probably what
5:47
tripped me up when I've made rice
5:49
pudding before is not getting it up to
5:51
that boil
5:53
and I certainly have not started it with
5:56
water.
5:58
So, I feel this is promising. Right.
6:00
I'll come back at uh 30 minutes and see
6:04
how it looks.
6:28
All right, I've been at 30 minutes.
6:30
Let's see how we're looking.
6:34
[Music]
6:42
I think I better check and see if the
6:45
rice is tender. It's not that thick yet.
6:48
I think I'll leave it uncovered. Give it
6:49
another 5 minutes.
6:56
Unless I had it cooking too low.
7:01
It's tender. Oh, I taste the lemon. It's
7:04
very subtle, but it gives a nice
7:05
complexity.
7:08
All right, let me give it 5 minutes.
7:10
Turning it up just a smidge. And see if
7:14
I can get it to thicken just a bit more.
7:16
I'm sure from the rice starch it's going
7:18
to thicken, but
7:20
I'd rather it be too thick right now.
7:22
and then loosen it with a little uh
7:24
whipped cream is going to be folded into
7:26
this. This is not a low calorie recipe
7:29
between the nuts and the whipped cream.
7:33
All right. Apparently, it is going to
7:34
thicken up as it cools. So, I'm going to
7:36
take it off the heat. Um I was going to
7:39
put it in this bowl. I think I'm going
7:41
to be a little challenged. I've got to
7:42
get my helper here to help me get it in
7:45
the bowl um to cool.
7:48
And then I'm going to put it in the
7:50
fridge for several hours.
7:53
And it's served at room temperature, but
7:55
it needs to set up a little bit. Oh,
7:57
here. I'll use my good hand. What is
8:00
that? Something just dropped in there.
8:14
All right. So, I'll be back and then
8:16
we're going to make the uh cherry sauce
8:17
next.
8:19
Apparently, this is also the point when
8:20
the chopped almonds are added. So, the
8:22
almond should be chopped kind of about
8:25
the size of lentils. So, it's 4 oz.
8:35
Stir that in.
8:47
The rice pudding part is, let me bring
8:51
it over here for you to see,
8:54
is cooled down and it's been in the
8:56
fridge for several hours. So, it's
8:58
thickened up. It's not icy cold and it
9:00
is not served cold. It's served kind of
9:03
a room temperature. And I have my um
9:06
brace off shortly or just for a short
9:08
amount of time because I need to drain
9:10
the cherries and I don't know what kind
9:12
of mess this is going to make. So,
9:15
I'll put it right back on. I'll put it
9:17
right back once I get this open.
9:21
All right. I need You can use frozen
9:24
cherries, it says. But I've got cans.
9:26
I've got one each because I didn't know
9:28
what to get. So, I'm going to mix. I
9:30
have the dark sweet and then the tart,
9:32
red tart.
9:35
And she said to save some of the syrup.
9:38
So, I'm going to drain them into this
9:40
cup. So, I need half a foot cup of the
9:43
syrup.
9:47
I just know this is going to be so
9:49
delicious.
9:53
Okay, so there's one.
9:57
All right. And then I got a second cup
9:58
here or measure measuring glass to see
10:05
that I have a cup and a half.
10:11
I don't think this will be quite enough.
10:15
No. So,
10:19
let's do drawer number or can number
10:22
two.
10:30
I want to see how sour this is before I
10:32
dump it in with the sweet.
10:41
Yeah, not great. I'm not going to use
10:42
the juice from this one. There's enough
10:44
in here. I don't have to have it from
10:46
these. These don't taste bad, but I
10:48
think to go with the rice, this is going
10:50
to be too tart.
10:52
Okay, so I'm dirtying yet a third
10:57
cup Pyrex.
11:05
And then let's see where we're at.
11:09
Almost there. I just need a few more.
11:12
Not even.
11:20
Yeah, that's good. All right, so I've
11:23
got my cup and a half of cherries into
11:25
the pan.
11:28
Medium heat.
11:32
Sugar,
11:34
3 tablespoon.
11:43
This is my little jar that I keep in the
11:45
kitchen for when I'm not using big cups
11:47
of things, big cups of sugar.
11:52
And then the syrup and some butter and
11:55
lemon juice. So what I have in here, if
11:59
you don't have the syrup, she says you
12:00
can use water, but of course we have
12:03
syrup.
12:07
Butter one tablespoon.
12:22
And that zested lemon is back.
12:27
Now, this is where the flavorings come
12:30
in. They don't go into the rice pudding.
12:33
It goes into the whipped cream, which is
12:36
folded in. That's where the um vanilla
12:40
and almond extract will go, and also
12:43
into this. So, this is kind of a base
12:46
for all the other deliciousness. But
12:48
this is delicious by itself.
12:52
All right, I'm going to let this come up
12:53
to a kind of a fast simmer and then the
12:56
corn starch slurry will go in.
13:01
[Music]
13:15
All
13:18
[Music]
13:32
[Music]
13:41
right, we got a little boil going now.
13:43
So, I'm going to add in the cornstarch
13:46
slurry.
13:47
And then I use the rest of my cherry
13:49
juice instead of using water
13:53
because, you know, flavor, right?
13:57
Let's come up to a boil so it thickens.
14:11
[Music]
14:25
All right. So, I've got my I'm not
14:27
making the full portion or the full uh
14:30
batch into servings. I'm just doing two
14:33
servings. So, I've got the freshly
14:35
whipped cream and it's flavored with
14:37
sugar, the almond extract, and then the
14:40
vanilla extract. And that gets folded
14:43
into the rice pudding, which I'm really
14:47
happy to say that it is tender and
14:50
delicious like rice pudding is supposed
14:52
to be. So, yay. It's my first time
14:55
successfully getting um rice pudding to
14:58
to work.
15:02
All right, so let's fold.
15:06
And then the cherry sauce is a little
15:10
warm and the
15:13
uh the rzm is
15:16
almost room temperature. Not quite. So
15:19
because of the whipped cream, I think
15:21
that's plenty. Right.
15:26
So, I'm going to put it in the bowls and
15:28
then we'll go out to the uh taste test
15:32
slash photography area and see how this
15:35
is. I'm sure it's going to be delicious.
15:37
Why wouldn't it be?
15:47
All right. Okay. So, we're going to pour
15:48
some of the cherry sauce onto the resol.
16:07
All right, let's see how it tastes.
16:10
My mouth is watering a little bit. I
16:12
can't lie. I'm a big fan of rice
16:14
pudding.
16:16
Oh, look how gorgeous that is.
16:27
Wow. One of the best things I've ever
16:29
eaten. Oh my goodness. Delicious.
16:33
No wonder this is a holiday treat.
16:38
It's very special tasting. M. Just
16:40
delicious.
16:43
M.
16:46
Wow.
16:50
10 out of 10. Just wonderful. Highly
16:53
recommend this recipe. I will link the
16:55
recipe that I used in the description
17:00
if you want to try it for yourself.
17:04
All right, I'm going to finish this and
17:06
I will see you in the next video.
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