Create your own tribute to the King with these recipes of Elvis Presley favorites.
By Jeanne Besser
ATLANTA -- Several cookbooks have been published featuring recipes of Elvis' favorite dishes, some from family members and Graceland cooks. At the Elvis Presley Birthplace museum in Tupelo, Miss., some recipes are featured on postcards. So that you can create your own tribute to Elvis, we tried a selection of those comfort-food favorites and present them here, along with a chef's fancy interpretation to promote beer (even though, according to his longtime cook, Nancy Rooks, he would have much preferred to drink Dr Pepper, Strawberry Shasta, orange juice or plain old ice water).
Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast
4 servings
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Toast the King with this breakfast feast. Our thanks to chef Brent Wertz, who developed this recipe for Anheuser-Busch, for adding the gratuitous tablespoon of beer in the syrup.
4 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
8 slices egg bread
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 banana, sliced into thin rounds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Confectioners' sugar, optional garnish
Cinnamon Butter, optional (see recipe)
Maple-Beer Syrup (see recipe)
In a 9-inch square dish, beat the eggs with the half-and-half, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. Make 4 peanut butter and banana sandwiches, using a scant tablespoon of peanut butter and one-fourth of the banana rounds per sandwich. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture; the liquid should soak well into the bread. Transfer the sandwiches to a platter and pour any extra liquid over them to make sure they are soaked through.
Heat vegetable oil on a griddle or in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place sandwiches on the griddle and cook on both sides until the bread is slightly puffy and cooked through, taking care not to let either side burn.
Top each sandwich with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, if desired, a tablespoon of Cinnamon Butter, if desired, and one-fourth of the Maple-Beer Syrup.
Per serving: 473 calories (percent of calories from fat, 44), 15 grams protein, 52 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 23 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 204 milligrams cholesterol, 419 milligrams sodium.
Cinnamon Butter
4 servings
Hands on: 2 minutes
Total time: 2 minutes
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
In a small bowl, stir together the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar until well combined. Chill.
Per serving: 112 calories (percent of calories from fat, 96), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 12 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 31 milligrams cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
Maple-Beer Syrup
4 servings
Hands on: 2 minutes
Total time: 2 minutes
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Amberbock beer (optional)
In a butter warmer or tiny saucepan, heat the syrup and beer over low heat until warm.
Per serving: 111 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 27 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 4 milligrams sodium.
Red Eagle Meatball and Spaghetti Dinner
Makes 8 servings
Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
According to Nancy Rooks, Graceland's longtime cook, this was the last meal Elvis ate. It's in The Presley Family Cookbook, a spiral-bound tome she wrote with Vester Presley, Elvis' uncle and a guard at Graceland for many years. It's heavy on meat and light on tomato sauce, and redolent of one of Elvis' favorite flavors - bacon!
1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup bacon grease
1/4 teaspoon butter-flavored salt
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups tomato-vegetable juice
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Mix ground chuck, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, then mix in egg, parsley flakes and bread crumbs. Form into balls and fry in batches in medium-hot bacon grease until browned on all sides. Season spaghetti with butter-flavored salt, pepper, tomato sauce and tomato-vegetable juice. Add meatballs to spaghetti and cover pan; simmer over low heat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Per serving: 517 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 22 grams protein, 52 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 23 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 86 milligrams cholesterol, 609 milligrams sodium.
Banana Pudding
8 servings
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Another Elvis favorite that was featured on a postcard. This one needed a little tinkering by Betsy Mann. But the result was a winner.
30 to 32 vanilla wafers
3 bananas, sliced
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
3 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
11/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
Preheat oven to 350. Line vanilla wafers along the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass dish. Top with banana slices. Set aside.
In a double boiler over simmering water, combine egg yolks, 1 1/4 cups sugar, milk and cornstarch. Stir constantly and cook until thick, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Pour pudding mixture over bananas and wafers.
In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and 1 tablespoon sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over top of pudding and place in oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.
Per serving: 371 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 7 grams protein, 58 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 128 milligrams cholesterol, 184 milligrams sodium. (NYT)
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