RICE CALAS WITH BLACKBERRY FILLING

By á-6281

Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING
• 4 C fresh blackberries
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 7 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp powdered pectin
• FOR THE CALAS
• 2 C flour
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 dash grated nutmeg
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 2 C cooked rice (long grain)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4-6 cups vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

Step 1

1. For the filling, stew the berries with the lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat for 20 minutes until they become very soft. Puree the berries in a blender, then press them through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Return the strained berries to the pot over moderate heat and add the pectin and sugar.Slowly bring the pot to a boil, whisking constantly. After it boils, remove the filling from the heat and allow to cool completely..

FOR THE CALAS
2. Put the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder into the work b owl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the rice, eggs, and 1 cup of the sugar and process until smooth. Add the milk and process until fully incorporated into the dough. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough to a bowl or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour.

3. Heat the veg. oil to 350 degrees.

4. Form the dough into 1" round balls. Very carefully drop them into the hot oil, a few at a time. Drain on paper towels.

5. To fill the warm calas, fit a plain 1/4" metal tip into a pastry bag. Then fill the bag and insert the tip into the calas, filling with the berry filling. Roll them while still warm in the remaining 1 cup sugar.