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It’s almost Christmas!
Somehow, it’s already mid-December, and Christmas is sneaking up on us yet again. It seems to happen every year! We haven’t been able to develop many new recipes this year, but we did want to share at least one for the Christmas season. And unsurprisingly, it’s a classic that (spoiler alert) you have to have on Christmas Eve, at least if you’re celebrating a Danish Christmas. Honestly, it’s not one that we usually make homemade either, but we can promise you that it’s so yummy and absolutely worth it. Without further ado, here’s our recipe for kirsebærsovs (sometimes called kirsebærsauce) or Danish cherry sauce!
No Christmas without risalamande and cherry sauce
If you’ve ever experienced a Danish Christmas, you’ll know that there’s no Christmas without risalamande and cherry sauce. Why? Well, it’s the classic dessert that’s served at Christmas Eve dinner! Plus, it’s actually a really fun game. The rice pudding is made with lots of slivered almonds, and one whole almond is also placed in the bowl. Everyone eats their dessert, and the person who finds the whole almond wins the mandelgave (almond gift), often something small like chocolate or a board game. The fun part is that everyone spends most of the dessert course accusing each other of having the almond and hiding it, and some people stretch it out for a long time before admitting that they have it.
The perfect dessert
What some people tend to forget, though, is that the dessert itself is so unbelievably delicious. Every time someone I know tries it for the first time, I’m reminded that this isn’t actually a part of everyone’s Christmas. They’re always so impressed by the taste and texture, which is why it’s unlikely you’ll have leftovers of this after Christmas. The base is a rice pudding made by adding whipped cream to leftover rice porridge, along with some vanilla. That’s literally it! We don’t even sweeten ours, although you can if you’d like to. But then comes the best part: the cherry sauce. This stuff is like liquid gold – it adds the perfect sweetness and freshness to the rich, creamy pudding underneath. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried it, I swear.
Ingredients you’ll need
If you’re looking for the full risalamande recipe, check it out here. For this cherry sauce, all you’ll need is cherries, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and a splash of water. It truly is that simple! We use frozen cherries because they’re cheaper and you don’t have to pit them, but if you happen to have a lot of fresh cherries to use up, you can use those instead. The sugar sweetens and helps thicken up the sauce, while the cornstarch also acts as a thickening agent in this sauce. The vanilla adds a tiny bit of flavor that complements the cherries really nicely.
How to make our delicious cherry sauce
You’ve got a simple list of ingredients above, so surely a simple method will follow. Yes, of course! Simply add the sugar, cherries, and a splash of water to a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and let this cook until the cherries are soft and release liquid. If anything is sticking to the bottom, add more water, but it’s more likely that the mixture will be very wet at this stage. That’s when we need to mix the cornstarch with some water and add it to the cherries. Stir this in until the mixture thickens (but make sure it comes to a boil, or else the cornstarch won’t work). Once the mixture is nice and thick, set it aside and then in the fridge to cool. To serve, reheat quickly in the microwave so it can be spooned over the delicious risalamande!
Kirsebærsovs (Cherry Sauce)
This deliciously sweet Danish cherry sauce is a crucial part of Christmas Eve dessert, spooned over rich, creamy rice pudding.
Ingredients
- 454 grams frozen cherries
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- Splash of water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Lemon juice, pomegranate juice, or other tart juice (optional)
Instructions
- Add cherries, sugar, and a splash of water to a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves, and let the cherries get soft and release liquid. If anything starts to stick to the bottom, add more water. Cook for about 10-15 minutes.
- Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water, and add this to the sauce. Make sure to heat the mixture up to a boil so that the cornstarch works to thicken the sauce.
- If the mixture is still very runny and not thick enough, repeat the previous step with 1 more tbsp of cornstarch.
- If you find the mixture is too sweet (especially if using sweet cherries), we've found that adding lemon juice, pomegranate juice, sour cherry juice, or another tart juice can help balance the sweetness!
- Once the sauce is nice and thick, set it aside and then in the fridge to cool. Reheat to serve.
Can you use canned pitted tart red cherries? And if you can, how much?
Yes, I’m sure that canned cherries would work just fine! I’d aim for the same amount of cherries as in the recipe, so 450-500 g. And you can always adjust the sugar as needed, if they’re especially tart!
Delicious and easy
Yay! Just what we like to hear – thanks for the review!