On the Table: Scandinavian Christmas Pudding Meets Cherry Country

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“Christmas: Antidote to darkness,” reads the final chapter of The Cooking of Scandinavia. The book itself is part of the now-vintage Foods of the World cookbook series that Time Life published in the 1960s and ’70s, and was gifted to me by my husband. Every year, we draw a country out of a jar—a hot cocoa mug, to be exact—and honor the holiday traditions of that culture. The year we drew the four-country region of Scandinavia was a fan favorite. Our sons made red and white paper hearts; I draped straw garland over the mantle. We listened to the Swedish carol jul, jul strålande jul on repeat. My husband read Astrid Lindgren’s The Tomten to our then-infant daughter at bedtime. We served a literal smörgåsbord of regional delicacies such as pickled herring, and I tried my hand at dishes like Jansson’s Temptation (a decadent potato and anchovy casserole) for the first time.

This was also the year I was introduced to ris à l’amande— the Danish Christmas dessert. Rice pudding that has been mixed with whipped cream and sliced almonds is topped with a warm cherry sauce—perfect for those of us who live in Michigan’s fruit belt and might know a thing or two about freezers overflowing with summer stone fruits. In this recipe, I’ve upped the Michigan ante by adding a barspoon of cherry liqueur, such as Leopold Bros. or Long Road Distillers. This holiday season, borrow from the Scandinavians’ wise hygge lifestyle by tending the flames in your fireplace and gifting yourself a little time in the kitchen with this comforting classic.

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Rice Pudding Recipe Directions

1. Place half of one vanilla bean and whole milk into a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the milk just to a boil and add the rice, stirring to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow to cook, stirring regularly to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook until much of the liquid has evaporated, the mixture is thick and sputtering from time to time, and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Remove the rice from the heat and discard the spent vanilla bean. Fold in the almonds, 2 Tablespoons sugar, salt, liqueur and the vanilla seeds from the remaining half of one vanilla bean, scraping the seeds with the back of a knife to release them into the rice. Stir to combine and let cool to room temperature.

3. Once the rice is no longer hot, pour the cream into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until it forms soft peaks. Fold into the rice, cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, make the cherry sauce. Combine water, cherries, 2/3 cup sugar and the vanilla beans from the remaining pod in a saucepan. Cook over high heat until the mixture boils, then reduce to simmer and continue cooking until the mixture is deep in color and the foaming has subsided, about 15 minutes. Using a fork, mix 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Pour the paste into the cherry mixture, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Scoop a serving of cold rice pudding into a bowl, top with a ladleful of warm cherry sauce and serve.

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Stacey Brugeman is a 20-year food and beverage journalist. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and on Instagram @staceybrugeman.

Dave Weidner is an editorial photographer and videographer based in Northern Michigan. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook @dzwphoto.

Sarah Peschel, @22speschel, is a stylist and photographer with an appreciation for all things local agriculture, food and drink.