Make The Rice Pudding Base:

1. Combine arborio rice, sugar, salt and cinnamon stick. Pour in the whole milk and stir to combine.
2. Simmer & Cook To Thicken. Bring the pudding to a low simmer and cook 40-45 minutes over medium heat, stirring every few minutes to prevent burning or sticking on the bottom of the pan. (If the pudding starts to boil, reduce heat to keep it at a low simmer.) Keep in mind the rice will cook faster and need more attention toward the end of the cook time. The rice pudding should still look loose at this point, since the rice will continue to absorb the milk as it cools. As long as the rice is tender and you’ve cooked it for the 40-45 minutes, trust that it will set up as it cools! 
3. Finish Pudding. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. 
4. Chill At Least 4 Hours. Transfer rice pudding to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours (up to overnight) to chill completely and to allow the rice to continue absorbing liquid. 

Make The Raspberry Sauce:

1. Combine. In a medium saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and water. 
2. Cook. Stir over medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken. 
3. Chill. Transfer raspberry sauce to an airtight container and chill in the fridge. (At least 2-3 hours)

Make The Risalamande:

1. Combine. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl (glass or metal), combine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. 
2. Whip. With a beater attachment or a hand mixer, whip the cream mixture on medium-high speed 6-8 minutes until it has doubled in volume and stiff peaks form. (The whipped cream will show the path of the beaters as it mixes, and the whipped cream should hold its shape if you dip a spoon into it and rotate it around.) 

Assemble The Pudding. 

1. Combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine chilled rice pudding base and chopped almonds (if using). Use a spatula to loosen up the pudding a bit (it will be quite thick!) 
2. Fold In Whipped Cream. Add the whipped cream and gently fold it into the rice pudding mixture, using a spatula to scrape around the edges of the bowl and into the center, repeating until the pudding is lightened in color and texture and evenly combined. 
3. Hide An Almond. Then, hide a single almond (whole almond) in the pudding. 
4. Serve. To follow Danish Christmas Eve tradition, serve Risalamande in a large bowl in the center of the table with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries on the side and eat until someone finds the hidden almond. That person wins a small prize (or at least bragging rights!). Or, you can spoon rice pudding into dessert dishes and top with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries. 
5. Store. Leftover Danish rice pudding will keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator 2-3 days.