Italian Rice Pudding

Ingredients for the rice pudding:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup arborio rice
4 cups milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, opened and seeds scraped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

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Ingredients for the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound (500 g) chopped milk chocolate with honey and almond nougat (Toblerone)

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Ingredients for almonds:
1/2 cup almond slivers
2 T honey
1 teaspoon salt

Preparing the ganache:
In a small pot, heat 1/2 cup cream, add the chopped milk chocolate and stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, whip the remaining cream with the powdered sugar. Set aside in the refrigerator.

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Preparing the rice pudding:
In a pot, melt the butter on medium heat until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir, coating the rice in the browned butter for another 2 minutes. Add milk, sugar, vanilla bean and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring every 5 minutes for about 45 minutes until the rice is cooked but still al dente. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, let cool, then put in the refrigerator.

Two hours before serving, fold the whipped cream into the rice pudding mixture and refrigerate.

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Preparing the almonds:
Toast almond slivers in a pan until they become golden brown. Place the almonds on a tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Set aside.

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Assembling the rice pudding:
Spoon the rice pudding into serving bowls and garnish with chocolate ganache and almond slivers on top.

Serves 4