Celebrate the Premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis with a Hunk, a Hunk of These Delicious Recipes
The film arrives in theaters on June 24th — turn movie night into an event with these dishes.
Johnny Miller
You can’t have a conversation about rock 'n' roll music without mentioning Elvis Presley. Dubbed "The King" of the genre, Elvis continues to be one of the most celebrated singers in American history. Known for hit songs like "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog" and “That’s All Right,” Elvis’ soulful voice, bedazzled jumpsuits and hip-swaying dance moves forever changed the face of pop culture and his influence can still be felt today. In fact, Baz Luhrmann has a brand-new movie coming out all about it. Elvis has already garnered critical acclaim globally — it just received the longest standing ovation in history at the Cannes Film Festival. Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ daughter, even tweeted she’ll "eat her own foot," if Austin Butler, the actor playing her famous father in the film, doesn’t receive an Oscar nomination for it.
Hitting theaters on Friday, June 24th, the beautifully shot biopic documents Elvis’ rise to fame throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, while also shining light on the two most important relationships in his life; his often strained one with his manager Colonel Tom Parker, portrayed by Tom Hanks, and his six-year romance with Priscilla Presley, played by Australian actress Olivia DeJonge. Poignant, insightful and electrifying, the film is sure to be the talk of the summer and its box-office release deserves to be celebrated with a few King-worthy bites. We put together the ultimate list of 11 Elvis-worthy recipes you can snack on before or after heading to the movie theater, including a few inspired by some of his best-known songs. Trust us — you’ll want a hunk, a hunk of them all!
The Italian Elvis (pictured above)
Die-hard Elvis fans already know that one of the crooner’s all-time favorite dishes was a peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich. The delicious sweet and salty combo is definitely something we can get behind, and this elevated version from Jeff Mauro will leave your taste buds all shook up. Jeff replaces the King’s preferred PB spread with a super thick smear of jarred chocolate-hazelnut spread and mashes his bananas with a cup’s worth of mascarpone cheese to create a creamy filling that you’ll be thinking about long after taking your final bite. There’s also three slices of oven-baked bacon hidden inside each sandwich, and honestly, who can say "no" to that? The sandwiches’ portable size also makes them easy to sneak into a movie theater … just saying!
Heather Baird SprinkleBakes.com
These whimsical envelope-shaped cookies are a clever way to pay homage to Elvis’ iconic ballad, "Return to Sender." Though making the 3D treats requires a bit more elbow grease than your average tray of sugar cookies — 8-hours of chilling, cooling and decorating to be exact — the end products couldn’t be more impressive! To really give your batch the right serving of Elvis-inspired heartache, go ahead and top your cookies with pipped phrases like, "Address Unknown," "No Such Number" and "No Such Zone." You can also add handwritten notes featuring your choice Elvis lyrics or quotes inside each cookie too.
Renee Comet
These fun fair-inspired pops are yet another way to give Elvis’ three best-loved ingredients a modern day upgrade. Each one of the handheld treats consists of a halved banana that has been wrapped in cooked pieces of peanut butter-covered bacon. The delectable creations are then dredged in cake flour and submerged in a batter made from even more cake flour, confectioner’s sugar and extra-cold seltzer water and fried until crunchy and beautifully golden brown. Since these are best served warm, go ahead and save them as an "post-viewing" snack for you and your rat pack to enjoy after returning home from the movie theater.
Antonis Achilleos
"Hound Dog" might just be Elvis’ best song ever, so we couldn’t help but include this Hush Puppy recipe from Food Network Magazine on this list as a cute nod to the record-breaking song. Unlike traditional hush puppy recipes, which use a very basic mixture of cornmeal, flour and other dry ingredients, these bad boys are packed full of flavorful add-ins like smoked cheddar cheese, pickled okra, corn kernels and sliced scallions. They’ll make the perfect high-classed appetizer for any Elvis viewing party and that ain’t no lie.
According to Daniel Clark, the current Food and Beverage Director of Graceland, the historical landmark makes "hundreds upon hundreds" of Elvis’ go-to peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches a day. If you’re looking to add yet another version of the King’s choice snack to your movie premiere celebration menu, these dreamy parfait cups make a yummy addition. Though they’re perfect for brunch, their repeating layers of peanut butter-flavored pudding, sliced bananas, crushed up wafer cookies, whipped cream and crumbled up bacon also make them a super satisfying late night movie-watching snack too.
Going to the local diner for milkshakes was a celebrated pastime of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. We’re also equally sure the King would approve of you using these Spiked Blueberry Pie Milkshakes to toast his new biopic. Including frozen blueberries, graham cracker crumbs and vanilla extract makes the shakes taste just like a big ole' slice of freshly baked blueberry pie, while their bright bluish hue instantly brings Elvis’ bop, "Blue Suede Shoes" to mind. Oh we almost forgot to mention, there’s also vanilla-flavored vodka inside them, so you really do get one for the money and two for the show, if you know what we mean…
It’s been widely reported that besides the pb-banana-bacon sandwich, Elvis had a very soft spot in his heart for meatloaf. According to the Presley Family Cookbook, which was written way back in 1980 by Graceland Headchef Nancy Rooks, Elvis would request that the dish be made once a week. Priscilla Presley even said that he got so obsessed with the Graceland version that he ate meatloaf for dinner every night for 6-months straight! We think Elvis would get stuck on this mini meatloaf recipe too. Not only do their smaller size make them the perfect party appetizer, but these skillet meatloafs are loaded up with much of the same ingredients found in the original recipe Elvis became fixated on, including ground beef, garlic cloves and chopped onion. Or test kitchen chefs choose to top ours with a bold glaze made from brown sugar and ketchup, but something tells us the King would also approve if you choose to cover yours in this Memphis-Style Barbecue Sauce instead.
Renee Comet
You’re sure to feel your temperature rising when you take a hunk out of these heart-shaped mozzarella hearts from Food Network Kitchen. Though they’re a no-brainer for Valentine’s Day, the fiery bites also perfectly embody Elvis’ rock anthem "Burning Love," hence their inclusion on this list. Freezing the mozzarella before and after covering them in your Flamin' Hot Cheeto crumbs with help ensure that each one of your hearts is adequately coated and packing just the right amount of heat, or as Elvis would say until you’re "burning, burning and nothing can cool you!"
Renee Comet, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Even if you walk and talk like an angel, you’ll still enjoy these devilish cupcakes. We can’t get enough of their sinister horn decorations, which are a nice way to "give life" to Elvis’ song "(You’re the) Devil in Disguise." Making the cupcakes is also pretty straight-foward — just be sure that you’re using unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed, when putting together your batter. Doing so will help you achieve that signature bittersweet chocolate flavor you’re after. To play up the "in disguise" aspect, you can also fill your cupcakes with an unexpected surprise like a spoonful of this Chocolate Pudding or this Strawberry Jam.
Teri Lyn Fisher
Younger Elvis viewers will appreciate you putting together these ooey gooey s’mores for them to enjoy before heading to the theater. The layered creations are packed full of the King’s favored trio — sliced bananas, chopped bacon and peanut butter — plus a few other delectable mix-ins, like fluffy marshmallows and creamy squares of milk chocolate. Cooking the bacon and roasting your marshmallows in an air fryer also saves you tons of time, and the end result is just as scrumptious as s’mores that have been roasted over an open campfire.
Tara Donne
If there’s one thing Elvis knew better than anyone else, it was heartbreak. Just check out his ditty "Heartbreak Hotel," if you don’t believe us. Though you’ll probably watch Elvis in a movie theater with a crowd instead of in a hotel room found at the end of Lonely Street all by yourself, this Broken Heart Chocolate Cake still makes a very fitting recipe to make in honor of the movie’s June 24th release. If you’re expecting guests before you head to the box office, you can get a head start by making your boxed chocolate cake the night before. If you happen to have someone in your friend group who recently went through a breakup of their own, we suggest leaving the making — and the breaking — of the sugar glass topping for them.
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