Danish Christmas rice pudding with berry compote
This rice pudding is a Scandinavian classic. Diana Henry makes it extra classic by serving the rice pudding with cranberry compote, made by cooking cranberries in a sweet red wine reduction.
This recipe is taken from Roast Figs, Sugar Snow by Diana Henry (Octopus, £22) Photography: Jason Lowe
Diana says: 'This is the finale to the Danish Christmas meal, served on Christmas Eve. In the past, there was just one almond hidden in the whole pot of rice pudding and it would bring luck to the finder. Nowadays, they are liberal with the almonds. The Danes serve this dish with a berry compote, usually made with dried or canned sour cherries, but I like it with the tartness of cranberries. This is too good to serve only at Christmas, so make it any time from October, when the first cranberries appear.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Cranberries
- 500ml of red wine
- 200g of caster sugar
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 500g of cranberries
Rice pudding
- 150g of pudding rice
- 900ml of full-fat milk, plus more as needed
- 35g of caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 35g of flaked almonds, or nibbed almonds
- 225ml of whipped cream, or double cream, loosely whipped
Method
To make the wine-poached cranberries, put the red wine in a saucepan with the sugar and cinnamon. Heat slowly, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve
- 500ml of red wine
- 200g of caster sugar
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
Put the cranberries into the wine, increase the heat until the liquid is simmering, then reduce the heat and poach slowly until the berries are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove the poached berries to a dish, then increase the heat once more and reduce the wine by boiling until you have about 250ml (9fl oz) left. Let this cool slightly, then pour it over the cranberries. Remove the cinnamon stick
- 500g of cranberries
Meanwhile, make the rice pudding. Put the rice, milk and sugar in a large heavy-based saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and leave to cook, stirring frequently, for 30–45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the milk has been absorbed. If the milk is absorbed too quickly – perhaps because your heat is too high – add a little more
- 150g of pudding rice
- 900ml of full-fat milk, plus more as needed
- 35g of caster sugar
Stir in the vanilla extract and almonds. Let the rice cool, then fold in the whipped cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 35g of flaked almonds, or nibbed almonds
- 225ml of whipped cream, or double cream, loosely whipped
Serve the rice pudding at room temperature with the warm berry compote
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