New Orleans Calas

“Belles calas, belles calas,” the street vendors of New Orleans used to hawk in the nineteenth century, selling the hot, spongy rice balls from colorful stands in the French Quarter. Today, anyone who visits the Crescent City stops by the Café du Monde for chicory coffee and the sugared squares of fried dough known as beignets, but just about the only place you might find the equally delectable calas is in African American homes on the first day of Mardi Gras and at special weekend breakfas