Elizabeth Pearce (The Cocktail Tour, New Orleans, Louisiana)
Serves 4
One of my favorite New Orleans foods to talk about during my walking tours is calas, a popular nineteenth-century rice fritter. Recently, it has been making a comeback in local restaurants. Eighteenth-century laws required that slaves be free from work on Sunday. Many slaves, however, took that time as an opportunity to work for themselves. Women made and sold candies and treats known as calas. The “Calas Woman” was a standard fixture on the streets of New Orleans. As street vendors faded from cities, calas left people’s tables. Now, anyone can easily make calas for breakfast or as a snack.
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying (see Chef’s Tips on blended oil, this page)
2 cups cold cooked long-grain white rice
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 heaping tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar
Fill a heavy, deep, straight-sided pan no more than halfway with oil (oil expands when hot, so leave plenty of room from the top of the pan). Then heat up the oil over medium-low heat. Warm the oil while you are making the batter.
Separate the grains of rice in a large bowl with your fingers or a spoon so there are no clumps. Add all the dry ingredients to the rice and toss well to coat. Add the eggs and vanilla, and then mix them in thoroughly so there are no dry spots.
Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil (it should be approximately 360°F). Once the oil is the right temperature, turn the heat to medium.
Form the calas into quenelles (egg-shaped dumpling) using two large tablespoons. Scoop the calas with one tablespoon, and angle the top of the spoon toward the oil; with the other tablespoon, shape the calas, and carefully slide the quenelle of calas into the hot oil.
As an alternative, you can form the calas into balls using a mini ice cream scoop. Spray the scoop with baking spray; then scoop the calas, and carefully drop the calas directly into the hot oil (make sure not to splash).
Drop in a few calas at a time. Do not crowd the pan.
When the calas hit the oil, they will immediately sink to the bottom. Do not stir or fetch them, as the heat from the stove top will push the calas back to the top, where they will begin to float. Once one side has puffed and browned, they will roll themselves over to puff and brown the other side. If they do not, give them a gentle nudge with a spider or slotted spoon until they do.
Fry the calas until they are golden brown. Remove them with a spider or a slotted spoon or tongs. Drain well on several sheets of paper towel, and continue to fry batches of calas until completed. Dust them generously with confectioners’ sugar.