Ris à la Malta – cold rice pudding, whipped cream and orange

Cold rice pudding, light cream and orange – the coolest dessert of Christmas

6 servings
Time: 15 min (with ready-made rice pudding) or 1 hr + chilling
Difficulty: Easy
15 ingredients
10 steps

Photo: Lorie Shaull, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ris à la Malta is the cool finish to the Christmas table: cold rice pudding folded together with lightly whipped cream, a little sugar and vanilla, and orange in pieces or as a sauce. After herring, ham and Jansson it is just light enough. And the best part is that it almost makes itself – it is yesterday's Christmas Eve rice pudding, with cream.

If you have not cooked any rice pudding, it works just as well to start from scratch. The rice pudding just needs to be completely cold before the cream goes in, so cook it the day before. Ris à la Malta is also a good dessert for children to make – whisking, folding and decorating.

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Why is it called Malta?

There are two explanations and nobody knows for sure which one is right. One is that the name comes from the Danish risalamande, which in turn comes from the French riz à l'amande – rice with almond – and that Swedish ears heard "à la Malta". The other is that à la maltaise in French cooking means that something is prepared with orange, after the sweet oranges from Malta. The Swedish version does have orange, so both may be a little true.

The difference from the Danish risalamande is precisely the orange: the Danes mix in chopped almonds and serve it with warm cherry sauce. Whoever finds the whole almond gets an almond gift, often a marzipan pig.

The almond without tears

The almond in the Christmas rice pudding is an old game – whoever finds it gets to make a wish. With several children at the table, there may be tears. A few ways to make it more fun for everyone:

One almond per child, each in their own small bowl.
An almond gift for everyone, but an extra fun task for whoever finds the almond – choosing which Christmas film you watch.
Small children: whole almonds and nuts can get stuck in the throat of children under three. Use a raisin or a piece of orange as the "almond" in their bowls.

Ris à la Malta with children

Children can whip the cream (with an electric whisk and an adult beside them), fold it in, and decorate the bowls with orange segments, pomegranate seeds or crushed gingerbread biscuits. Older children can stir together the warm berry sauce on the stove. Let each child make their own bowl – and hide the almond in someone else's.

Ways to vary ris à la Malta

With mandarin: swap the orange for segments of clementine or mandarin, which are sweet and easy to peel.
With Swedish toffee: sprinkle crushed knäck toffee over it just before serving.
With warm cloudberries: warm berries as in vanilla ice cream with cloudberries go just as well as cherries.
Lactose-free or vegan: lactose-free cream works like the regular kind. With oat drink in the rice pudding and whippable oat cream it becomes vegan – but a little looser.

Outdoors by the fire

Ris à la Malta can handle the cold, which makes it the perfect dessert at a Christmas dinner outdoors. Make it at home, pour it into a jar with a lid and put it in the cool bag. Warm the berry sauce in a small saucepan over the embers while you drink glögg – warm sauce on cold cream in the snow is hard to beat.

Common mistakes

Warm rice pudding – the cream melts and the dessert becomes thin and watery. The rice pudding should be completely cold.
Cream whipped too stiff – it becomes lumpy when folded in. Whip to soft peaks.
Too much cream – the dessert turns loose. About 3 dl cream to 5 dl rice pudding is just right.
Orange added too early – the juice makes the dessert watery if it stands for long. Decorate just before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make ris à la Malta the day before?

The rice pudding is best made the day before. The dessert itself keeps for a day in the fridge, but it is airiest if the cream is folded in on the same day. Add the orange just before serving.

How much cream should there be in ris à la Malta?

About 3 dl whipping cream to 5 dl cold rice pudding. If you want it firmer, use a little less cream.

What is the difference between ris à la Malta and risalamande?

Ris à la Malta contains orange and is often served with orange or berry sauce. Danish risalamande has chopped almonds in the cream and is served with warm cherry sauce.

Why does ris à la Malta become thin and watery?

Usually because the rice pudding was not completely cold or because there was too much cream. Leave the rice pudding in the fridge overnight and whip the cream to soft peaks.

Can you use rice pudding from a bag?

Yes. Cook it according to the packet, let it cool completely and follow the recipe above.

More Christmas desserts and treats: lussekatter, roasted chestnuts and the whole the Christmas guide with dates for Advent, Lucia and Christmas Eve.