The silly season is upon us.
Time to finish work for the year, put the feet up and do a serious amount of relaxing! That’s what this time of year is all about, lots of family lots of food and this year lots of Elvis. Yep, this year is going to be a very Elvis Xmas.
Well, why not. Who doesn’t like Elvis, I mean he’s ‘The King’ for a reason.
Ever since his blue suede shoes kicked open the doors and he burst onto the music scene with ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ in 1956 he has cast his perfectly quaffed shadow over popular culture in a way that no other artist before or since has managed to do.
Elvis shook American audiences to their core when he came out, his gyrating hips sending women across the nation into screaming hysterics and warning bells ringing in the conservative halls of power. The reaction to Presley was totally over the top including the FBI being warned by members of the Catholic Church, “Presley is a definite danger to the security of the United States. … His actions and motions were such as to rouse the sexual passions of teenaged youth”, and Ed Sullivan declaring him “unfit for family viewing” and nicknaming him “Elvis the Pelvis”.
But Elvis was more than an artist, he was and is a phenomenon and as much as conservative America wanted to stop him, and believe me they did try, even drafting him into the Army in 1958, his influence on almost all facets of popular culture was too much to ignore. Elvis Presley’s contribution to music is incredible, his singles (to name but a few) including Jailhouse Rock, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel and All Shook Up are all classics and engrained into 20th Century Pop Culture. Over the course his career he had 18 Number 1 hits in America, 38 top ten singles and starred in 31 movies.
Sure there are so many reasons to love Elvis, the clothes, the music, the hair; but why I hear you ask does that mean we should have an Elvis themed Xmas?
Well, because as celebrated as he became, he never abandoned his love of food, and isn’t that what Xmas is about? When I think of Xmas I think of seeing the ones I love, exchanging gifts and eating my own body weight in Turkey and Cake. That’s what The King would have done and towards the latter part of Elvis’s career, his larger than life physique was the perfect evidence of just that. And if it’s good enough for The King, then it’s good enough for me. Elvis’s love of Southern cooking is legendary, especially his love of one of the most delicious sandwiches of all time, a concoction of peanut butter and banana goodness sometimes referred to as an Elvis sandwich.
So this silly season if you want to eat like The King why don’t you fire up the fryer and try this little Southern culinary, coronary concoction.
Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Xmas… catch you next year!!!
Fried Banana Fritters with Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Salted Caramel, Roast Peanut Praline Crumble and Hot Chocolate Fudge.
For the Fried Banana Fritters
300g of Self-Raising Flour
2 Bananas Cut into 20 Slices
For the Peanut Butter Ice Cream
For the Roast Peanut Praline
For the Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Place the Peanut Butter and Molasses into a Saucepan with the Cream, Milk and 50g of Sugar.
Split the Vanilla Bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the Cream Mix.
Simmer the Cream mix for about 15 minutes stirring to combine the ingredients.
Remove the Saucepan from the heat and remove the Vanilla Pod.
In a metal mixing bowl add 6 Egg Yolks and 100g Castor Sugar and mix well.
Slowly whisk 1 cup of the Cream mixture into the bowl with the Egg Yolks. Make sure you don’t empty all of the Cream in too fast as it will scramble the Eggs.
Once combined slowly pour the Egg mixture into the remaining cream mixture and whisk well.
Fill a Saucepan with water and bring to boil.
Put the the bowl on the top of the saucepan and heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and it is 77 degrees on a digital thermometer.
Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container and cover with plastic wrap against the surface of the liquid to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Add the Peanut Butter Ice Cream mixture to your Ice Cream Machine and make the Ice Cream as per manufactures instructions.
Once finished add to airtight container and freeze till ready to use.
Heat a fry pan over a medium heat and add sugar stirring gently.
When it has melted and gone an amber gold color add the butter and continue stirring ensuring it has melted and combined well.
Very slowly add the cream in a steady stream mixing carefully. It is totally normal for the mixture to bubble and spit, just be careful, as boiling sugar and skin are not the best of friends.
Allow this to cook for another 30 seconds and remove from heat and cool.
Add a couple of teaspoons of Sea Salt to taste. Make sure it is Sea Salt and not table salt as you want that crunch when you bite into a crystal!
In a Saucepan add Cream and simmer gently.
Add Sugar and Molasses and stir well until dissolved.
Add Butter and mix well then add Coca Powder, Vanilla and Salt.
Simmer for about 5 minutes then remove from heat.
Bring a Saucepan of Water to boil and place a metal bowl on top.
Add the Chocolate to the bowl and gently melt, scraping off the chocolate from the bottom with a rubber spatula ensuring it doesn’t burn.
When the Chocolate has melted add the cream mixture a cup at a time and stir well until combined. Reserve.
For the Roast Peanut Praline
Line a tray with baking paper and reserve.
Over a medium heat toast the Peanuts in a Fry Pan until fragrant. Reserve
Add Sugar and Water to the pan stir and cook over a medium heat until the sugar turns deep amber gold.
Remove from heat and add the peanuts and mix well then pour onto the baking paper, smoothing the mixture out so it is even across the paper.
Cool for about 15-20 minutes.
Shatter into small piece with the back of a spoon, reserve some of the shards for the dish and place the rest in a food processor, blitzing into a dust. Reserve.
For the Fried Banana Fritters
In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, a pinch of salt and Bicarb Soda and mix well.
Add the Soda Water and mix ensuring the ingredients are combined but still lumpy.
Coat the Banana pieces with flour and dunk into the batter, coating well.
Heat oil to 180 degrees Celsius. Make sure you have enough for Deep Frying and use an appropriate sized Saucepan or use a deep fryer.
Carefully add the Battered Banana to the oil and cook until golden brown, turning carefully to ensure an even colour. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
Add some of the Praline shards to the bottom of your bowl and a spoon of Caramel and Fudge.
Add a spoon of the Praline dust and place a scoop of the Peanut Butter Ice Cream on top.
Add the Fritter and finish with an extra drizzle of Hot Chocolate Fudge.