• You'll need to make the rice pudding base 1-2 days in advance.

Rice pudding base

• In a large pot, bring the rice and milk to a boil, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to a creamy consistency. When done, cover the rice pudding with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
  2 1/4 dl japonica rice, 1½ liter milk

Risalamande

• When you're ready to prepare the risalamande, take the chilled rice pudding out of the fridge and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and mash them together with 15 grams of sugar. Add this fragrant vanilla-sugar mixture, along with the remaining sugar, to the rice pudding.
  1 vanilla bean, 75 g sugar
• In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks (but don't over-whip!). Gently fold the whipped cream into the rice pudding using a spatula or wooden spoon until everything is well combined.
  6 dl heavy cream
• Next, blanch and coarsely chop the almonds, but don’t forget to set aside one whole almond for the traditional almond gift game! Stir the chopped almonds into the risalamande, making sure they’re evenly distributed.
  150 g almonds
• Finally, just before serving, warm the cherry sauce in a small saucepan until it’s nicely heated. Serve the creamy risalamande with the warm cherry sauce drizzled over the top, and enjoy this delightful traditional Danish Christmas dessert!
  500 g cherry sauce