Try our family Danish risengrød cinnamon rice pudding recipe!

What is risengrød? Well, it’s essentially Danish cinnamon rice pudding served during Christmas; a big batch is often made on the 23rd of December and served hot, then the remaining pudding is combined with whipped cream and cherry sauce and served as dessert on Christmas Eve as risalamande; don’t forget to leave a bowl out of your nisser (house elves) too! Our family recipe is a great dish to cook if you suffer from power cuts and are trying to preserve your camping gas; known in Denmark as putting the rice pudding to bed, the cooking pot is wrapped in newspaper and blankets after the second boil, then snuggled under the duvet to keep on cooking for a couple of hours.

While it is customarily a Scandinavian festive dessert , we like to eat it all winter long as one of life’s great comfort foods. Feeling under the weather? Knock up a big pot of this rich and creamy pudding and consume on the sofa under a blanket and you are guaranteed to sleep well!

Ingredients (serves 2 very generous portions as it is quite rich)

750ml milk 

100ml water

100g pudding rice

100g white sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Butter, to serve

1. Place the rice and water in a large heavy-bottomed pan and bring to the boil for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the milk, bring back to the boil and then turn the heat down to low; simmer for 30-35 minutes until thick and creamy, stirring frequently with a spatula to stop the grains sticking; you may wish to turn the heat down even further to stop the milk foaming over. As the mixture becomes thicker and creamier it will require stirring more frequently, so this is a great recipe for when you are on hand in the kitchen rolling biscuits, etc.
3. While the rice is gently bubbling away, add the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl and stir thoroughly to combine.
4. Once the rice is thick and creamy, add a pinch of salt and divide the pudding between two bowls. 
5. Top each serving with a spoonful of butter and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. The mixture will thicken as it cools, so if you are re-heating it later on it can be loosened with the addition of a splash of milk. Don’t forget to leave a little bowl out on Christmas Eve for the nisser pixies!