Elvis (The Fat Years) Part Deux

Did you know the average adult man eats approximately 2,100 calories a day?  Yeah, you're probably not too surprised by that news.  And did you know that an adult Asian elephant eats approximately 50,000 calories a day?  Wow, that's a lot of roughage, but still, that seems reasonable given an Asian elephant's average weight of 6 tons.  Well, did you know that Elvis, shortly before he died, was consuming between 94,000 and 100,000 calories a day!  YIKES!  Think there was any relationship there between calorie intake and dying??

I learned this from my fourth grade daughter who was sitting in the backseat of the car, reading aloud from Uncle John's Electrifying Bathroom Reader for Kids Only.  We were headed to the library to return books, including the aforementioned tome.  But after hearing that en-"grossing" piece of info, there was no way we were going to return the book - yet.  I had to read more.  And more there is.  Here then is a typical day of eats for Elvis:

Breakfast
1 six-egg omelette  (Slacker!  Babe Ruth ate 18-egg omelettes, another factoid from this enlightening book.)
1 lb of bacon, burnt
1/2 lb of sausages
12 buttermilk biscuits

Lunch
2 Fool's Gold Sandwiches
A loaf of French bread cut in half lengthwise with 1 jar peanut butter, 1 jar strawberry jam, and 1 lb crisp-fried bacon spread inside.  (Pure divine inspiration!)

Dinner
5 double hamburgers
5 deep-fried peanut butter and mashed banana sandwiches

Snacks
pecan-crusted catfish (this actually sounds good!)
smoked ribs
more burgers
grits and cheese
pork sandwiches
fried dill pickles
sweet potato pie
bologna cups (huh?)
barbecued pizza
banana pudding
glazed donuts
triple-layer fudge cake

In homage to Elvis' Fool's Gold Sandwiches and inspired by Humphrey Slocombe and Jeni's ice creams, I came up with another "to-die-for" treat.


Elvis (The Fat Years) Part Deux Ice Cream

Makes approx. 1 quart

In a 2-qt capacity heat-proof bowl , cream together until smooth:
1.5 oz cream cheese, softened (43g)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (67g)
Set aside.

Measure:
2 cups whole milk

Remove 2 tablespoons of the whole milk and in a small bowl, make a smooth slurry along with:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Pour remaining whole milk into a 4-qt saucepan along with:
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar (134g)
2 tablespoons corn syrup (41g)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Over medium-high heat, bring to a rolling boil for 4 minutes precisely - timing is critical.  Remove from heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Return to heat and boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly until slightly thickened.

Slowly pour hot milk mixture into the cream cheese/peanut butter mixture, whisking until smooth.  Cover 2-qt bowl with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to absorb any water vapor, then cover with plastic wrap or slip into a plastic bag.  Refrigerate overnight or until thoroughly chilled.

Meanwhile make the strawberry sauce.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine:
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup sugar (175g)
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-8 minutes, until thickened.  Stir occasionally to break down the fruit and prevent scorching.   Remove from heat and refrigerate.

Fry in skillet over medium-high heat until crispy:
1/4 - 1/2 lb of bacon  (depending on how much you like bacon)
Drain on paper towels and chop into small bits after it has cooled.

Churn ice cream according to ice cream manufacturer's instructions.  Add bacon bits during the last minute of churning. When packing the churned ice cream, alternate layers of the ice cream and the strawberry sauce. Start with some strawberry sauce on the bottom of the container and reserve some for the top as well. Cover the full container with parchment paper or wax paper to seal out air and then place container lid on top.  Let harden in freezer for at least 4 hours.