Ris a la Mande

Ris a la Mande

This was the first Christmas when she would be doing things differently.

 Lorna sighed and thought how difficult it would be, to break it to her mother. Nikolai had been very firm , “Tell your mother that I want a different kind of Christmas this year and don’t let her bully you. You are too soft with her , always giving in to her every wish and whim.” Things had been difficult between them the past year or two. The marrying of two cultures was not always a picnic. Most of their quarrels stemmed from their different way of thinking and behaviour as well as language difficulties.

 Until now her mother, the children’s grandmother had decided what the Christmas pudding would be, “ plum pudding.”

The phone rang ,“Lorna, I am about to get the ingredients for the Christmas pudding and will come over in the morning so the family can take turns to stir!” “Mum,” said Lorna swallowing hard, “please don’t be offended but I am going to make a Danish Christmas pudding this year.” After a long pause her mother’s voice came over the telephone. “But what will the children say? What will your sister and her family say. They all love the English way of things.” “I don’t know mum but they have to realize that their father is a Dane and that he also has a right for his children to learn some of the Danish culture and customs.” “Oh! Can’t we have both ? English and Danish?” “ I think that would be too much work and too much pudding even for 9 people!”

Molly sniffed over the phone, “ I won’t have anything to do?” “ Mum you can come over and decorate the sitting room with the old Christmas cards. That should keep you busy for a while and will give a festive air to the surroundings. Bye for now”

Lorna put the phone down quickly before her mother could answer. She felt sorry for her mother but in the past few years, had found Molly to be very domineering and selfish with regard to the children, monopolising them as if they were in fact her children and not her grandchildren. Nikolai had justification for his criticism.

Lorna also resented the fact that Molly frequently reprimanded the children for things that she herself would overlook. They were only young once. Molly would correct their grammar for instance and the way they behaved at table. Lorna sometime seethed under her cool exterior. She had to admit that her Mother was sometimes an extra load that she had to carry.

For the past few years when the children had begun to sit up and take notice of the festivities surrounding Christmas. Molly had reigned supreme in the kitchen, Lorna’s kitchen!

On “Stir it up Sunday” the Sunday before advent, Molly would come trotting up the garden path laden with packages containing dried fruit, candied peel, flour, sugar, nuts, lemons, oranges and a bottle of brandy. “Hello Lorna I’m here!” and Lorna would have to wait in attendance for the mixing and preparing of the cake mixture. It held an almost mystical atmosphere with the smell of the fruit and brandy in the bowl, the stirring and the wish making.

Lorna especially liked the inclusion of candied peel, which only seemed to surface at Christmas time. All the ingredients would be placed in a large mixing bowl, then “Call the children now” Molly would say and Tommy 4 and Lisa 6 would come running to the kitchen. “Now this is the best time in the year for making a wish. Stand on the step and stir the pudding with this wooden spoon and make a wish.” Tommy was always the first, standing solemnly stirring with his mouth pursed and eyes closed giving extra power to his wish. Lisa took more time, thinking of what she would like to wish for, decision making was not her strong point.

Into the pudding mixture, would go the traditional charms. Molly always had a supply from somewhere. There was the silver bell for a bride, a button for a bachelor, a horseshoe for luck, a thimble for a spinster and a wishbone for making a wish (an extra chance for someone).

The pudding would cook for 8 hours and after storing until the right day, it would be brought out, steamed for one hour and plated , smothered in brandy, set alight and then brought in triumphantly to the dining table. The flames would leap up and around and everyone would gasp with delight and approval. The appearance of what seemed to her, a normal rice pudding with the addition of some cream and nuts, would be a poor substitute. Might as well make English rice pudding, thought Lorna the one that put Mary Jane into such a temper in the old rhyme.

Molly asked with an almost inaudible whisper “What will the children say? What will your sister and her family say? Everyone is accustomed to the English Christmas pudding and they love the charms hidden inside . It makes Christmas dinner what it is. The children get really excited about the charms inside and hope they will be lucky to find a charm on their plates.”

 “It is time for my family to realize that I am married to someone with a different culture and they ought to be glad to learn something about Danes. Nikolai has put up with all the English customs and traditions for quite a long time and maybe it is time to accommodate him .” This is quite a small change in my opinion.

“Mummy why is Gran crying?” asked Tommy a few minutes later? Lorna felt her insides go into a tight coil. “ It is hard for her to accept Tommy, that things will be a bit different this year at Christmas. We are going to have a Danish Christmas and follow the Danish customs.” “But why, we have always had an English Christmas before?” “ Sometimes, Tommy other folk have to have a turn, to be in the limelight and enjoy the things to which they are accustomed.

“ What other changes will there be?” asked Lisa. “Some of the changes will be hard for the children , you, Tommy and Megan and Keith, your cousins. In Denmark Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve, the evening before Christmas, Nisse arrange the presents around the tree the day before Christmas. They are never seen. They are too clever for that. I will put some small Nisse in the living room for decoration and then you will get an idea of how they look. You will not get your presents on Christmas morning as in English custom, where Father Christmas comes down the Chimney in the middle of the night. In Denmark all the family eat Christmas dinner and when dinner is over, it is only then that the presents are given out . The anticipation of opening the parcels and seeing what is inside them, has to be postponed until after eating . This is difficult for the younger children who can see the presents during dinner under the tree but are not allowed to rush over and start ripping the papers off. They have to learn to be patient; not always easy!

November came and went. Molly stayed away more now and there was a feeling of wariness between Lorna and her mother. Lorna brought out four advent candles. “Why are there only four candles” asked Lisa. “There is one for each of the four Sundays before Christmas and they remind people that Christmas is a time of waiting for the birth of Jesus. Christmas is not only for giving of presents and eating .”

On Christmas Eve, Lorna busied herself in the kitchen, making the Ris a la Mande . It had to be started early, so that the rice could cool of, before adding the whipped cream and chopped almonds.

The roasted ducks were cooked and ready for warming in the oven. All the accompanying vegetables were traditional fare, the ærter og gulerødder, the rødkål and the brunede kartofler which had to be finished off at the last minute, browned in sugar, caramelised and then browned again butter.

All the family ate with relish and did not seem to miss the usual turkey, ham , roast beef, roast potatoes and brussel sprouts. Even Molly was in good spirits. Then came the moment that Lorna had been dreading. The family always sang this song every year without fail. This too was part of their tradition:

We wish you a Merry Christmas;

We wish you a Merry Christmas;

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;

Good tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year;

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;

 Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer

We won’t go until we get some;

We won’t go until we get some;

 We won’t go until we get some ;

So bring some out here

Instead of the figgy pudding, dating form medieval times and dancing with flames, a sprig of holly on top, Lorna brought out the “Ris a la mande” with a bowl of stewed raspberries.“ Now be careful how you eat this. There are some chopped almonds in the pudding and there is also one whole almond. Whoever gets the whole almond should not chew it but show it to all present and that person will get a prize which they can share with everyone, if they so choose. The whole of the Ris a la mande had almost disappeared ( one way of getting children to eat up!) when Tommy shouted “ I’ve got the peanut. I’ve got the peanut !” waving the almond above his head.

“It is an almond “ said Lorna ,” but we can just as soon call it a peanut.” She exchanged a smile with Nikolai across the table. “ Thank you for this Danish Christmas.” He said.