Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 12, Episode 1 - Molly's Favorite Brunch - full transcript

[Molly] I'm hosting
a Middle Eastern brunch,

combining one of my favorite
cuisines with the best meal of the day.

Holy buckets.
That's amazing.

It will be full
of falafel waffles,

topped with creamy
lemon-yogurt slaw.

Yum in in my tum.

A grazing board,
featuring tangy

scallion-marinated
labneh balls.

My swirly
chocolate rose buns.

Cinnamon rolls
better watch their back,

because there's
a new bun in town.



And peachy basil marzipan
sodas to wash everything down.

Building these is just
as fun as drinking them.

Oh, yum. Yay!

Hey, this is me,
Molly Yeh.

This is my husband, Nick.

This is our growing family.

And this is our home, our farm on
the North Dakota- Minnesota border,

the place where I eat,
sleep and breathe food.

One of the great things about
brunch is that anything goes.

You can eat dessert first,

so I'm starting off by making
my chocolate rose buns.

They're swirled
with loads of chocolate,

and then finished with a
rosewater-spiked simple syrup.

That hit of rosewater makes
them feel so special and floral.



I'm starting off by melting
half a cup of unsalted butter,

and I'm gonna combine it
with one cup of whole milk.

All I want to do
is gently heat it.

I don't wanna scald the milk,
I don't want the milk to boil.

I don't know anybody who doesn't
like a swirly bun at their brunch.

When I moved
to Grand Forks,

I noticed that there weren't as many brunch
restaurants as there are in New York City.

So my friends and I
started a brunch club.

These buns are great,

because you can shape them
the night before,

and let them rise
in the refrigerator,

and then sleep in
and throw them in the oven.

This butter
is just about melted.

So I'll set this aside and mix up
the dry ingredients for the dough.

I'll combine four-and-a-half
cups of all-purpose flour.

A third of a cup of sugar.

Two-and-a-quarter teaspoons
of instant yeast.

Instant yeast
is the best.

Because unlike
active dry yeast,

you don't have to proof it,

so that's
one less dirty bowl.

And a teaspoon
of kosher salt.

That's it
for my dry ingredients.

I'll whisk this to combine.

Pour in my milk and butter,
which, by this point,

has cooled,
so it's not too hot.

If it's too hot,
it could kill the yeast.

So it's important
to make sure

that it's just warm
to the touch.

And lastly, two eggs
and a little vanilla.

I'll give this a mix
to bring it together

into a shaggy,
loose dough

before I get it onto
my stand mixer.

The concept
of the swirly buns

comes from the classic
American cinnamon rolls.

But the rosewater syrup on top
brings in some Middle Eastern flair.

Now that this dough
is too stiff to mix by hand,

I'll let this knead with the dough
hook for seven to ten minutes,

until it's smooth
and still slightly sticky.

That's looking good.

The dough is cleaning
the sides of the bowl.

It doesn't look too wet,
it doesn't look too dry.

To test to see if this dough
has been kneaded enough,

I'm gonna do what's called
the window-pane test.

Pinch off a piece of dough,
you stretch it.

If you can see the light
right through the dough,

that means that the glutens have
developed to be strong enough

to hold up
as the dough is rising,

and give you
a fluffy, squishy bun.

Okay, I'm gonna
ball up the dough

so that I have
a smooth, taut surface

to allow it
to rise evenly.

Soft as Ira's tush.

I'll drizzle in
a bit of oil.

Place the dough in
top-down,

so that I can
smush it around

and get it completely
coated in the oil,

so it doesn't dry out
while it's rising.

Flip it over.

And then this will rise for one to
two hours, until it's doubled in size.

To make my bun filling,
I'm melting together

one cup of semi-sweet
chocolate chips,

six tablespoons
of unsalted butter,

and a quarter cup
of honey.

Just for more depth
of sweetness and flavor.

And I'm doing this
in a heat-safe bowl,

over a pot
of simmering water.

You don't want to run the risk
of overheating the chocolate,

because that could
cause it to seize up,

and then it won't be
glossy and spreadable.

This is shiny, and beautiful,
and fully melted.

So I'll remove it
from the heat.

And then mix in a quarter cup
of unsweetened cocoa powder.

A teaspoon of vanilla,

and a couple
of good pinches of salt.

I'll stir this up
until it's smooth.

That's it for the filling.
I'll get the dough.

It's puffy and risen.
Ready for a party.

I'll dust my counter
with some flour,

so that the dough
doesn't stick.

It feels
so good in my hands.

This dough
needs to get rolled out

into a 22-inch
by 16-inch rectangle,

about a quarter
of an inch thick.

We'll dump on the chocolate
and spread it all over.

The only place that I'm
going to leave unchocolated

is a half-inch border
at the top,

and that's gonna help me
seal the roll shut.

It's time
to roll these up now.

Once I get to the top, bring
the top edge over, like that,

and then pinch it
shut to seal.

I'll roll this over,
so it's seam-side down.

This is a 9x13 dish
that's been greased.

And now,
I'm gonna cut 12 rolls.

I start in the center,
since that's easy to eyeball,

and then divide
these two halves in half.

And divide these quarters
into thirds.

And now, I'll space them
evenly in my baking pan.

This part gets messy.

The rolls are gonna look
kind of rustic.

There will be
a significant amount of space

between each bun
at this point.

But once they rise, they'll
rise together and kiss.

[snaps fingers]

These will bake now
at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

These buns are golden,

and the swirls look like
cartoon swirls.

So, I don't want to cover them
up with a glaze or a frosting.

Instead, I'm gonna make
a simple syrup

spiked with
some rosewater.

I'll start with
a quarter cup of honey

and half a cup of water.

Now, I'll just whisk this together
and simmer it for a couple of minutes

so it can thicken. Okay.

This has thickened slightly.
I'll remove it from the heat.

And then whisk in two
tablespoons of rosewater.

A pinch of salt.

And then,
while the syrup is still hot

and while the buns
are still hot,

I'll drizzle this syrup
over the top.

It's gonna feel like
a lot of syrup,

but the buns
will lap it all up,

and they'll be moist
and delicious.

I'll finish these off
with a few dried rose petals,

which are totally optional.

For me,
it's just an aesthetic thing.

I like to see that
there's rose in these buns.

And lastly,
a good pinch of flaky salt.

It sparkles on the top.

Now, those are
some nice buns.

I'm not even gonna wait.
I'm going right in.

This one is calling my name.

Hello. They're so pillowy.

And look at all that
steam coming out.

I'm just gonna
go for it.

Mmm. Mm-hmm.

They're buttery,
they're soft.

So chocolatey.

And that rosewater
is the perfect touch.

Mmm.

Cinnamon rolls
better watch their back,

because there is
a new bun in town.

Next up, waffles are no
stranger to the brunch table,

but what about falafel waffles
with lemon-yogurt slaw?

I am a total sucker
for any food that rhymes,

which is why I love
these falafel waffles.

They're crispy on the outside,
herby, perfectly spiced.

And I'm gonna top it
with a really crunchy slaw.

I'm starting by making
my falafel mixture.

I just pile everything
into a food processor.

One yellow onion,
coarsely chopped.

And then the main
ingredient of falafel, beans.

This is one-and-three-quarters
of a cup

of dry chickpeas that have
been soaked overnight.

I know it might be tempting
to try to use canned chickpeas,

but canned chickpeas are
actually cooked and softer.

So, if you try to make falafel
with canned chickpeas,

the patties
could fall apart.

One egg.

Three cloves of garlic.

And then I like
a super herby falafel,

so I'm adding one cup each of
fresh parsley and fresh cilantro.

And they make them
pretty and green.

For my spices,
one-and-a-half teaspoons each

of ground coriander
and ground cumin.

I like to add a touch of
cinnamon for some warmth.

It adds
some great undertones

to the coriander
and the cumin.

A quarter teaspoon
of cayenne pepper.

I'll zest in this lemon.

The brightness will
balance out the dark spices.

And then I'll also squeeze in
one tablespoon of lemon juice.

So, about the juice
of half a lemon.

So, this will add
more brightness,

and it's also gonna react
with some baking soda,

to help make the inside
of the falafel fluffy.

I can hear it fizzing as it
reacts with the lemon juice.

A quarter cup of all-purpose
flour will bind these together,

so that the waffles
don't fall apart.

And then I'll season with
two teaspoons of kosher salt.

Okay.

This looks great.

First thing I'm gonna do is grease the
waffle iron pretty well with my spray.

It will also help
with the crispiness.

And then I'm gonna use
a scant one cup of mixture.

I'll spread out
this mixture

almost to the edges.

Press it down.

And allow this to cook
for about five minutes.

I'm smelling
those spices toasting.

I've never had a falafel
that I didn't love.

I grew up eating it. There was
a little restaurant down the street

from where I grew up
that had delicious falafel.

This looks crispy.

Ready to come off
the waffle iron.

Smells delicious.

I'm putting this
onto a wire rack,

so that the bottom can stay
crispy. It won't get soggy.

And it's important to re-oil the
waffle iron before making another one.

Awesome.
I can't wait to eat these.

But first, I've got to make a
colorful, crunchy slaw to go on top.

So, while I do that, I'll
keep these in a warm oven.

On my first trip to Israel
about ten years ago,

I was introduced to the
concept of salad for breakfast,

and I have not been
the same since.

It's so delicious,
it makes me feel good.

And I feel less bad eating
cake the rest of the day.

Therefore, I am going to
make a huge pile of slaw

to go on top
of my falafel waffles.

I'll start
with the dressing.

A quarter cup of whole milk
Greek yogurt.

Six tablespoons of tahini,
which is a smooth sesame paste.

Three tablespoons
of olive oil,

to bring
a little more richness.

Two tablespoons of honey
for a hint of sweetness.

Think of it as the maple
syrup to this waffle.

A bunch of lemon juice
to brighten it up

and balance out
the sweetness of the honey.

Two teaspoons of cumin,
a pinch of cayenne.

Gotta have something spicy
on my falafel.

I was always that person
at the falafel stand

that had the guy add tons
of hot sauce on top of mine.

And I'll season
with kosher salt.

I'll whisk
until it's smooth.

And then I'm going to toss
my veggies in this dressing.

But first, I wanna
remove some of it,

so that I can
drizzle some on separately

to make the waffles
extra saucy.

Okay.
And grab my veggies.

I've got a rainbow here.

Some sliced red cabbage.

Gonna be so good and crunchy.

One carrot.

Three radishes,
thinly sliced.

And half a red onion.

This rainbow needs
some greenery.

I'll coarsely chop up
some cilantro and parsley.

Okay. I'll toss this
all together.

The waffle smell
is haunting me.

I can't take it
any longer.

Ready for the waffles.
Hello.

[sniffing]

They smell awesome.

Okay.
Get this onto a plate.

I'll pile on some slaw,

I'll drizzle on some sauce.

Extra-creamy richness.

Stick some herbs on top.

Nestle in a lemon wedge.

And finish with a sprinkle
of flaky salt.

That's a waffle.

I'm gonna dig in.
I just need to make sure

that it's okay for brunch.

Squeeze it with lemon.

Shove on some slaw.

Here I go.

Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

There was so much flavor
and texture, too.

The crispy falafel,

the crunchy salad,
the creamy sauce.

Holy buckets.
That's amazing.

Next up,
a fruity, sparkly drink,

and the grazing board
of my dreams.

[Molly] Whenever I have
friends over for brunch,

I assume that
they have skipped breakfast

in order to save room,

so I like to have snacks out as
soon as they walk in the door.

I'm making
a big grazing board,

and at the center of it is my
scallion-marinated labneh balls.

Labneh is what happens
when you strain yogurt

past the point
of Greek yogurt,

into a thick, spreadable
cream cheese consistency.

They're so happy
and playful.

I'm so excited about them.

It's common
in Middle Eastern cuisine.

And if you live
in a big city in the US,

you can likely find it
at a grocery store.

But here,
I can't really find it.

So I make it
from scratch,

and it's actually
really easy to make.

I combine whole milk
Greek yogurt with salt,

and lemon juice
for even more tang.

Then strain it
in a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

And let it thicken up
in the fridge for 24 hours.

Then I scoop it into balls
on a paper towel-lined tray.

Add another paper towel
to absorb the moisture.

And put them back
in the fridge

to firm up even more
for a couple of days.

Then I roll
into smooth spheres.

Warm some olive oil
over medium heat,

and pour it over some chopped
scallions in a heat-safe jar.

Let it cool
to room temperature.

Drop the labneh balls in.

And let them infuse
in the fridge for a few days.

Yum.

I'm gonna spoon these
labneh balls into a serving bowl.

They're kind of delicate.

I'm gonna fish out some scallion
pieces, too, because they're pretty.

And it'll eliminate
the guesswork

when people are eating these,
and they're like,

"What's that flavor
that I can detect?"

I'll put it onto my board.

So excited about
all of these colors.

We've got nuts,
cornichons, olives,

which are welcome
in any cheese board,

especially
if it's Middle Eastern.

Apricots, radishes,
cucumbers, eggs,

za'atar, which is a blend of dried
thyme, sesame seeds, salt and sumac,

and some flaky salt.

I'm gonna test out
a labneh ball.

Oh, yeah,
that spreads nicely.

I'll sprinkle it
with a tiny bit of flaky salt.

[mimics fanfare]

Mmm. [exclaiming]

It's got that
yogurty tang,

and it is also
rich and creamy.

This is an awesome
conversation starter,

because we made cheese,
and it was super easy.

All right, next, every
brunch needs a beverage,

and my peach-basil marzipan
soda is a beautiful bouquet.

Anyone who has ever done
Tel Aviv correctly

has been
to a teeny, tiny shop

that specializes in
the most stunning sodas

on the planet,
called gazoz.

Gazoz is
the Turkish word for gas,

and it can refer to
any number of different sodas.

But these
particular sodas

have bouquets of herbs, and tons
of fruits, and syrups and sharabs.

They are these
magical concoctions,

and they've inspired me
to make my own

peach-basil marzipan gazoz.

First thing I'm gonna do
is make a marzipan syrup.

And to do that, I've got eight
ounces of blanched almonds

that I'm gonna blend
in my food processor.

It's important that these are
blanched without their peels,

because that will help achieve
a smooth consistency.

I'm gonna blend these forever,
about ten minutes.

That's how long it takes
to pulverize these almonds

into a smooth,
spreadable butter.

Here I go.

Okay. Let me check on it.

Oh, it's looking
really smooth.

I'll blend in
some powdered sugar now.

Three quarters of a cup.

Some almond extract,

and a couple of pinches
of salt.

I'll blend this up. And at this
point, it'll be a thicker dough.

And I'll continue on blending,

as I turn this into a syrup

by drizzling in
a cup of water.

It's basically a thicker,
sweeter almond milk.

[sniffs] It smells heavenly.

I'll grab the other
ingredients for my gazoz now.

I've got cold, carbonated
water, which is required for gazoz.

Gas, gazoz.

And my peach-basil sharab,

which I've had chilling in the
refrigerator for a couple of days.

Here's how I made it.

Peel two pink grapefruits,

chop the peels and massage
them with one cup of sugar.

Then add the juice
of both grapefruits,

plus enough water to yield
one total cup of liquid.

That goes into the pot along
with two chopped peaches,

a heaping half-cup
of raspberries,

a few teaspoons
of pink peppercorns.

Bring it to a boil,
then reduce to a simmer,

just until
the peaches are soft,

and the raspberries
start to fall apart.

Remove it from the heat.

Stir in one cup
of white wine vinegar,

and toss in a couple
of sprigs of fresh basil.

Pour it into
a heat-safe jar,

and allow the flavors to develop
for two days in the refrigerator.

Inspired by that
little place in Tel Aviv,

I've got
a bazillion garnishes.

Building these is just
as fun as drinking them.

I'll start
by mixing the syrups

at the bottom of the glass
so that they can combine.

So, sharab means
"to drink" in Arabic.

And once I had
a sharab for the first time,

it's like I was introduced
to this whole new world.

Because there's so much more
dimension when you add that acidity

to balance out
the sweetness.

I like how frothy it is.

I'll pile on some ice cubes.

Wow, look at
all these pretty things.

I'll start with some citrus
wedges for sour notes.

Some strawberries
for sweetness.

Cucumber ribbons
are so refreshing.

Some raspberries.

Some pomegranate seeds.

I'll fill the rest of the glass
up with carbonated water.

And lastly,
a ton of fresh herbs.

Some fresh mint and basil,
some rosemary.

Look at that. Ta-da!

Mmm.

That is heavenly.

It's creamy from that
marzipan, it's fruity.

It's honestly
hard to believe

how so much flavor
fits into one soda.

It's time to get
brunch started.