Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 12, Episode 3 - Hearty Harvest Lunch - full transcript

[Molly Yeh] It's harvest,

so I'm making epic lunches

for my favorite farmers
and myself.

[Nick Hagen] Oh, man.

That hits the spot.

[Molly] I'm loading up
the coolers

with meaty,
pulled pork sandwiches

with a refreshing
charred broccoli slaw.

There are some good smells
going into my nose right now.

Tangy French onion yogurt
on the side.

Oh, yeah.



And for a double dose
of dessert,

they'll go crazy for my addictively
sweet s'mores snack mix...

I'm so happy.

...and thick, frosted
Speculoos cookie bars.

These are awesome
for a hearty harvest lunch.

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.

It's harvest time!



So I'm putting together
some bountiful lunches

for all
of the hardworking farmers

and me, of course.

For dessert, I am baking up my
frosted Speculoos cookie bars,

which are super chewy

and loaded with cozy,
spiced, autumnal energy.

To start,
in my double boiler here,

I'll melt together
one stick of butter

and half a cup of my Speculoos
cookie butter spread,

which is basically
pulverized cinnamon cookies,

those same cookies
that you get on the airplane.

Contributes nice,
dense richness to the bar.

Mmm-mmm. I love this stuff.

All right, I'll stir this up
and melt it together

and get it nice and smooth.

So, every year for harvest,

I set up
a little pop-up bakery

in the workshop,

and I put out
sweets and treats

for all of the farmers.

Last year, I made
a version of these bars,

and they went crazy for them.

So this year,
I'm upping the ante

and adding a frosting on top.

Okay, this is melted
and smooth.

I'll remove it
from the heat...

...and whisk in one cup
of brown sugar.

It'll make it even sweeter,

and the brown sugar will help
the bars maintain their chewiness.

Okay, this is combined.

I'll set this aside
to cool briefly

while I mix up
my dry ingredients.

One-and-a-half cups
of all-purpose flour.

A teaspoon of espresso powder,

which complements
the Speculoos so nicely.

And also, I do not think
the farmers would complain

about having an extra hit
of caffeine right about now.

And then, a teaspoon of baking
powder will help these bars puff,

and three-quarters
of a teaspoon of salt.

I'll get this combined.

Let me check on this mixture

to make sure it's cooled
enough for me to add the eggs.

I don't want to scramble
the eggs. [chuckles]

This feels good.

I'll add in two eggs,
one at a time.

Cookie bars are
such an efficient way

of feeding a lot
of people at once.

Bars. You can't have
a Midwest party without them.

I need to say it
like that, too.

[in Midwest accent]
"I'll bring a pan of bars."

This is smooth. It's glossy.

It's kinda ribbony.

I'll drizzle in some vanilla

so that there is no shortage
for warmth and coziness.

And then, I'll switch
to my spatula

and add in
the dry ingredients.

I'll stir this in.

This is the time of year

when it's starting
to get cold outside

that I prefer a cookie bar
to a cookie,

because cookie bars
can be thicker, chewier.

You can get more
in every bite.

Everybody loves a cookie bar.

This is a beautiful,
thick, smooth batter,

and it smells heavenly.

I've got an 8x8 metal pan here
lined with parchment,

and I always love to bake
my cookie bars in metal.

It conducts the heat
in the most efficient way.

Sometimes, if you're
baking in glass,

the edges are done before
the innards are fully cooked,

and so you have
to bake it for longer.

And the parchment wings here
will make it easier

to remove the bars
once they're done baking,

and it ensures that they don't
stick to the bottom,

'cause that would be
a catastrophe.

I'll niche this
into the corners

to spread it out evenly

and then stick this
in the oven

at 350 degrees for 25 minutes,

until they're set and puffed.

And in that time,
I'll get going on my frosting.

I love the way it feels

when you bite into
a frosted cookie bar,

and this cinnamon buttercream will
complement the Speculoos in the bars so well.

I'll start with one stick
of softened butter,

and then two cups
of powdered sugar.

You go through a lot of sugar
during Sugar Beet Harvest.

A little bit of cinnamon
will channel the Speculoos

that's in the bars,

and a good pinch
of kosher salt

to balance out
all the sweetness.

Yeah, I'll mix this together
until it's crumbly,

on low, so the sugar doesn't
go flying everywhere.

I'll bring it together

into a smooth,
spreadable frosting

with two tablespoons
of heavy cream.

This is when
the magic happens.

It smooths out
and gets luxurious.

And I'll finish
with a splash of vanilla.

This is smooth.

It's looking really good.

My bars are fully cooled.

And now for my favorite part,
the decorating.

I'll plop on my frosting.

I'll spread this all over

into thick, luxurious swoops.

It's a lot of frosting,
but these farmers can take it.

Smooth out the edges.
Make it pretty.

I'll crumble some
Speculoos cookies

over the top for crunch,

and also, 'cause then
you have a visual

of what's in the cookie bar.

Kinda looks like dirt.

I guess, more accurately,
it would be the subsoil.

And because Bernie wouldn't let
me out of the house without them,

[softly] just a few sprinkles.

Those are really pretty.

[sighs] That is
a satisfying cut.

Check you out.

That's a good-looking
cross section, am I right?

Almost too pretty to eat,

but I do have to make sure
that they're okay for the farmers.

Wow.

They're chewy. They're sweet.

That crunch
from the cookie on top

is the perfect textural touch.

These are awesome
for a hearty harvest lunch.

Coming up, the easy secret

to tender, juicy,
and flavorful pulled pork.

All the farmers I know
love meat,

so for a harvest
lunch centerpiece,

I'm giving the people
what they want

and making giant, juicy
pulled pork sandwiches,

piled high
with charred broccoli slaw

all onto a pretzel bun.

I act like I'm making it
for the farmers,

but I'm obviously also excited
to eat these, too.

To start, I've got three pounds
of boneless pork shoulder here

that I'm seasoning
all over with salt,

and I've cut this
into 3-inch pieces.

It'll make it easier to pull
and it'll cook quicker,

and I'll sear it
right in my pressure cooker,

so it's a one-pot wonder.

I'll get a couple
of tablespoons of oil in here.

Don't skip this step.
It is crucial for flavor.

It's such a satisfying sound.

I have this on the high
saute setting

so that I can really get
that great color.

I'll sear this in batches.

I don't want
to overcrowd the pan.

A few minutes per side.

So, typically for harvest,

I just do sweet baked goods
for the farmers.

But last year, I figured,

"I'll add
an extra special treat

and do some
pulled pork sandwiches."

This was toward
the end of harvest.

So I drove around
delivering them,

and when you drive around
during harvest here,

you see all the tractors
in all the fields.

There are more trucks
on the road.

There are sugar beets
sprinkled all over the road.

It's actually really exciting.

There's this great energy
in the air.

This is their big moment.

So, this searing really bumps
up the flavor of the meat.

If you've ever tried
a slow-cooked meat

that hasn't been seared,

it kinda just falls flat.

I'll get these out and then
get the other batch in.

I feel like pressure cookers
are a little easier to clean

than a big honking Dutch oven,

which is nice, because Nick's
busy harvesting right now.

He doesn't have time to do all
the dishes like he normally does.

All right.

That's done.

I'll get these out,

then continue on
with my braising liquid.

I'll toss in a chopped
red onion with a little salt,

and saute until it's soft.

It's smelling sweet and porky.

I'll get my spice blend in now

which is a mixture of cayenne,
paprika, garlic, and cumin.

So, it's savory. It's smoky.

It's a little bit spicy,
but not overly so,

and I'll allow my spices
to toast in with the onion.

I'm smelling that cumin.

Once I can really
smell the spices,

I know they've toasted.

I'll pour in one cup
of low-sodium chicken stock.

I'll sweeten this with a
quarter cup of brown sugar

and then brighten it up

with half a cup
of apple cider vinegar,

giving you those sweet,
appley, harvest-y vibes.

Ketchup, the love of my life.

I'll add a half cup
of ketchup.

This'll also help kinda
thicken the sauce, as well.

And two teaspoons
of Worcestershire sauce

will add saltiness
and delicious depth.

I'll nestle my pork back in,

and as this pork cooks,

it'll get fall-apart tender

as it absorbs all of these
delicious flavors.

I'll get the lid on.

[automated tune plays]

I'll pressure cook this
on high for 50 minutes

while I make my broccoli slaw.

See you later.

This'll be a nice, colorful,
crunchy contrast

to the saucy meat.

I'm starting
with two heads of broccoli

that I've chopped
into florets.

Any time I can get some
vegetables and nutrition

into Nick during harvest,

I take advantage of it.

I'm tossing this with two
tablespoons of olive oil,

and I'll season
with a good pinch of salt.

I'll toss this together
and spread it out

all over my sheet pan,

and I'll roast this at 475
for 12 to 15 minutes

until it's charred.

And then while that goes,
I'll make my dressing.

I've got some
buttermilk for tang,

and mayonnaise because,

is it a Midwest slaw
without mayonnaise?

[chuckles] I'll start
with half a cup...

...and then a quarter cup
of buttermilk,

which will thin it out

and add that
delicious sourness.

A splash of apple cider
vinegar for acidity,

a little honey for sweetness,

and some garlic powder.

I'll season
with salt and pepper.

I'll give this a whisk.

I'll pile in my fresh veggies.

I've got a jalapeno,
shredded carrot,

thinly sliced onion,

and pineapple,

which is, of course,
really good with pork.

It'll add that hit
of sweetness.

I'll get my broccoli.

Oh, yeah.
That's good and crisp.

I could eat this whole pan.

I like roasting broccoli
for this slaw

as opposed
to doing raw florets,

because it softens it
a little.

It'll eat better
with the pork.

I'll toss this all together.

I'm loving all
of these colors.

All right, this looks so good.

I'm gonna go in for a taste.

Mmm. That is so good.

I can't wait to put
these sandwiches together.

Next, pork and pretzel buns
come together,

and it's priceless.

I am up to my arms in pork

for some hearty
harvest lunches.

This has been pressure cooking
for about 50 minutes,

and it is just
fall-apart tender.

My broccoli slaw
is ready to go,

and now, all I need to do is
put together my sandwiches.

The juices are still
in the pressure cooker.

I'm gonna reduce them so that
they can get thick and saucy.

And to do that, I just hit
[cooker beeps] saute.

[chuckles] That'll go
for about 15 to 20 minutes,

and in that time,
I'll shred up my pork.

Oh, yeah.

I barely have to do anything,
because it's so soft.

There are some good smells
going into my nose right now.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

I have a couple
of toasted pretzel buns here

which are good and sturdy.

They won't get soggy
under the pulled pork.

To assemble my sandwiches,

I'll start
with a pile of slaw.

I do the slaw first

so that the sauce has
more room to travel

before getting into that bun.

A pile of meat...

Oh, yeah.

And I'll get some
of that reduced sauce.

This'll be like, the glue that
holds everything together.

[whispers] Nice.

That is a beautiful sandwich.

Give it a smash
to bring it all together.

I'm not waiting for this one.

Look at you. Hello.

Mmm.

Oh, yeah. That does not suck.

It's sweet. It's salty.
It's juicy.

That crunch from the pineapple
and the broccoli

is doing it for me.

I'm gonna have
one more bite of this,

and then I'll build some more
to bring out to the farmers.

For a saucy sandwich sidekick
in my harvest lunch,

I'm whipping up
some French onion yogurt.

It's a cinch to pull together,

and a total nostalgic party
for your mouth,

served with beet chips,
of course.

So, I've got my caramelized
onions just about ready here.

This is one large onion
that's finely chopped.

I've been cooking it
over medium heat

in two tablespoons of butter

with a little bit
of salt and sugar

to really bring out
the sweetness.

You can see that
they're deeply golden.

This is exactly where
I want them to be.

Before I remove them
from the heat,

I'll deglaze the pan
with some white wine.

That'll allow any tasty bits

that are stuck to the bottom
of the pan to loosen,

and then also, the wine adds
really great acidity

and adds a nice dimension
to this dip.

I'll stir it around and allow
the wine to reduce by half.

So, I don't want it to be
a boozy dip, obviously,

with all of these guys
operating tractors.

Okay, I'll remove it
from the heat

and grab the base for my dip.

I've got a big tub
of whole milk Greek yogurt.

I keep this on hand
at all times

because it's so versatile.

It's basically
a blank canvas for dips.

I'll pile three-quarters
of a cup into my mixing bowl.

I'll pour in
my caramelized onions

and then enhance
the onion flavor

with a bit of onion powder,

almost in the same way
that you would add

cocoa powder
and melted chocolate

to a chocolate frosting.

These two just play
off of each other.

Salt and pepper...

And then, some chopped
fresh chives will be pretty.

This smell is bringing me back
to junior high school parties,

where I would just camp out
near the French onion dip.

Listen, I was just happy
to be invited.

I'll stir it all together.

Mmm, mmm.

This smells good.

You gotta serve
with beet chips.

I'm diving in.

Mmm. Mmm.

It's sweet. It's salty.
It's tangy.

It's still a little warm
from the caramelized onions.

I better get this out to the
farmers before I eat it all.

Still to come, my campy take
on the snacky dessert

Midwestern kids
were raised on.

Since there is no shortage

of the caloric needs
of a farmer during harvest,

I am making
my s'mores snack mix,

which is my s'mores twist

on a classic
Midwestern snack mix.

Loads of marshmallows
and graham crackers

tossed together with
peanut butter and chocolate

and enough powdered sugar to
keep the sugar farmers in business.

I'll start by melting some
peanut butter with some butter.

This will basically be

the glue to hold
the snack mix together.

Add a stick of butter,

and I'm melting these together
until they're smooth

in my double boiler here,

but you could also
use a microwave.

I don't know any Midwestern
kid who didn't grow up

making gigantic batches
of this snack mix.

We always had this type of
snack mix at soccer practice

to give us energy
to run around.

And so, that'll
translate today.

It'll definitely give
these farmers

energy to harvest.

This is starting
to get smooth.

As this continues to melt,

I'll chop up my chocolate.

I've got 12 ounces
of milk chocolate here,

and it is the sweet, inexpensive
grocery store chocolate

which is the best for s'mores,

and I'll give it a rough chop.

I'm doing a s'mores twist
on this snack mix

because harvest always comes at the
very end of summer, early fall, so...

S'mores are summery.

This is kind of, like,
the last hurrah of summer.

Okay, I'll melt half
of this chocolate,

and then reserve
the other half

for tossing in at the end,

so you get chocolate
in two textures.

You get it melty, and then
you also get it snappy.

Smelling good.

Sometimes, Nick says that he
forgets to eat for hours at a time,

which is a concept
that is unimaginable to me.

Because of that,
I like to make sure

that he has some easy-to-reach
calories on hand at all times.

I'll remove it from the heat,

and now,
in my huge bucket here,

I've got a bunch
of crunchy rice cereal,

as well as some crushed up
graham crackers,

because it's a s'mores mix.

I'll pour this over my cereal.

That's the good stuff.

I'll gently toss
this together.

I don't wanna crush
the cereal.

I'll get it evenly coated.

Mmm.

It's coming together.

Then, to "snack-mix-ify" it,

I'll dump in a buttload
of powdered sugar.

So, three cups, to be exact.

This is the fun part.

I want all the powdered sugar
to get incorporated.

They teach this
in culinary school?

No one said this was
a clean snack mix.

When you're out on a tractor
harvesting, you're dirty already.

Oh, yeah. It looks good.

Look at that.
I'm not done yet.

I wanna toss in my remaining
chocolate that I didn't melt.

It just gives it some
good textural excitement,

and you can't have a s'more
without marshmallows.

I've got two kinds,

your standard, chewy,
mini marshmallows

and dehydrated marshmallows
for crunch and color.

I'll toss in two cups of each.

And these,
you can find online,

or you can buy the cereal
that has them

and spend all day
picking them out.

Oh, yeah.

This is looking fun.

I'll give it one more shake

to incorporate the
marshmallows and chocolate.

I think I earned some.

Oh, yeah.

That is one big, happy mess.

I'm finding a big chunk,

and it even has
a marshmallow in it.

It's crunchy. It's sweet.

I'm so happy.

Better not give this
to Bernie.

She'll be [chuckles]
on the loose.

I've got some lunch boxes
to build,

and then I'll go find
my farmer.

Hello.

- Hey.
- You hungry?

[Nick] You have food?
Come, come.

[Molly] Close this?

How hungry are you?

[Nick] 10 out of 10.

[Molly] Are you
snack mix hungry

- or are you pulled pork sandwich hungry?
- [Nick] Ooh, I usually...

I usually grab
the pulled pork first.

Oh, man.

That hits the spot.

[Molly] Okay, so how
is harvest going?

Can you drive stick shift?

'Cause I'm short one driver,
at the moment.

No.

All right.

- Good luck.
- Thanks.

See ya when I see ya.

Well, see you around.

- Bye.
- Bye.

You wanna just slow down,
and I'll hop out?

[Nick] Well,
we still have, like,

- a quarter mile to go, so...
- [Molly laughs]