Calas

- 2/3 cup sifted cake flour (preferably a silky southern flour like White Lily or Martha White)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten with 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups cooked long-grain rice, at room temperature (measure lightly packed)
- Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying (2 to 2½ quarts)
- Confectioners’ (10X) sugar (for dusting)
Instructions:
You can serve these delicious calas for breakfast or brunch.
- Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the egg mixture and whisk just until combined; fold in the rice. Do not overbeat or your calas will be tough. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer or large kettle at least 4 inches deep, insert a deep-fat thermometer, and set over high heat until the oil reaches 350° F.
- Working with about a third of the cala mixture at a time, drop from a rounded tablespoon (or better yet a No. 24 spring loaded ice cream scoop) into the hot oil, spacing the calas well apart. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as needed until evenly browned and keeping the oil as near to 350° F. as possible. Lift to paper toweling to drain.
- Dust the calas with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm for Sunday breakfast or brunch with drizzlings of cane syrup or maple syrup.