Adapted from Perfect Scoop.

1/2 cup Italian Arborio rice

3 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

Two 1-inch-wide strips of orange zest

5 large egg yolks (save the whites for use later)

1 cup half-and-half or cream

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350. In a 1.75 to 2 quart baking dish, mix together the rice, milk 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. Add the vanilla bean and strips of orange zest (I made the mistake of actually scraping out the vanilla, but it’s not really a mistake… it’s delicious.)

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the rice from the oven and remove the foil. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then continue to bake the rice, uncovered for another 30 minutes.

Remove the rice from the oven a second time, remove the vanilla bean and orange zest and briskly whisk in the egg yolks at once. Then whisk in the half and half or cream and nutmeg.

Puree half of the rice mixture in a blender or food processor until chopped fine then stir it back into the cooked rice.

Chill the mixture in the fridge (I left mine in for 2 days), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

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