Risalamande - Danish Rice and Almond Pudding

Make the risalamande:

1. Add rice and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil then cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat or until water is almost evaporated.
2. Add milk and salt. Bring the milk to a boil over medium/medium-low heat. While it is coming to a boil, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla beans. Add the scraped seeds and the remaining pods to the milk. Reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is soft, about 35 minutes (the cooking time may vary depending on the rice variety used). Make sure to stir the rice from time to time to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. The rice pudding will be very runny at first but will thicken quickly once you remove the pot from the heat.
4. Stir in granulated sugar.
5. Leave the rice pudding to cool completely. Do not skip this step - if you add whipped cream to warm rice pudding, it will melt. (This is a good time to make the cherry sauce, see below).
6. Stir in roughly chopped almonds. Leave one almond whole as a surprise and add it as well.
7. Make whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
8. Gently fold the whipped cream into the rice pudding in three additions.
9. Use immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Remove the vanilla pods.

Make the cherry sauce:

1. Drain the cherries and reserve the juice. Add the cherries to a medium pot.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the cherry juice with cornstarch until combined. Add this mixture to the cherries.
3. Add the remaining ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil, then cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
5. Adjust the sweetness to your liking. You may need to add more sugar if you are using cherries in unsweetened juice, as the sweetness can vary depending on the brand.
6. Let the sauce cool until warm but not hot. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

Serve:

1. Spoon the risalamade into bowls (it should be cold or at room temperature) and spoon the warm (but not hot) cherry sauce over the top.
2. Enjoy!