Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 13, Episode 3 - 2nd 40th Bdays Outdoor Pizza Party - full transcript

[Molly] I'm throwing an
outdoor birthday pizza party

to celebrate my good friends.

- [both laughing]
- Happy Birthday!

They'll love my meaty,
cheesy baloney pizzas.

Caesar salad
with a little surprise:

chicken parm chopped up
and scattered throughout.

This salad slaps.

Five-spice limoncello
to loosen us up.

[friend 1] That is so good!

And for dessert, my moist matcha red
bean and almond rainbow cookie cake

covered in chocolate,



will make them feel like
they're 40 again.

will make them feel like
they're 40 again.

Happy birthday sweet friends.

[opening theme music playing]

Look at these beauties.

Hey, this is me, Molly Yeh,
this is my husband Nick.

This is our growing family,
and this is our farm

on the North Dakota-Minnesota
border,

the place where I eat,
sleep and breathe food.

My beautiful hot, smart
friends are turning 40 again.

My beautiful hot, smart
friends are turning 40 again.

So to celebrate, we're having
a pizza party.

For dessert, I am making an Asian inspired
twist on an Italian bakery classic,

my matcha red bean
and almond rainbow cake.



It's dense and buttery and covered
in a layer of rich chocolate ganache.

It's also so satisfying
to make.

To start on my batter,
I'll whip up three egg whites.

You always wanna make sure
when you're beating egg whites

You always wanna make sure
when you're beating egg whites

that you don't have any bits
of oil or fat or egg yolk in there

because that'll prevent them
from beating up fluffy.

I'll get this onto
my stand mixer

and beat until it's foamy.

And beating up the egg whites like
this will introduce air into the batter.

And I'm not adding any baking
powder or baking soda.

So it's important to get these
egg whites good and fluffy.

I'll sprinkle in two tablespoons
of granulated sugar,

and that's of course
gonna sweeten them.

It's also gonna help them stabilize
so that they hold all that air.

And increase the speed now
and beat these to stiff peaks.

[quick whirring]

It's important to keep
a close eye on these,

so that you don't
over beat them.

If you over beat egg whites,
they could become dry

and kind of separated
and icky.

We don't want that.

Oh, yeah.

That's a stiff peak
right there.

I'll scoop these out of the bowl
'cause I'm gonna use the bowl

for that egg yolk mixture now.

I'll combine one cup of softened
unsalted butter, half a cup of sugar

I'll combine one cup of softened
unsalted butter, half a cup of sugar

and six ounces of almond
paste,

which is an ingredient that
you can find in the baking aisle.

And it's essentially finely
ground almonds and sugar.

It's kind of like a candied
dough.

When I moved here away from New York,
I really missed Italian rainbow cookies.

So I started making them
from scratch.

I thought I kind of wanna make
me in cookie form.

Asian and commonly
found at delis.

[whirring]

I'll mix this up until it's pale
and creamy, a few minutes.

I'll mix this up until it's pale
and creamy, a few minutes.

Just letting the almond
waft into my nose.

Personally, I don't mind some
larger chunks of almond paste,

so I don't want it to get
fully broken down.

It's looking pale
and fluffy to me.

I'll dump in three egg yolks now, leftover
from the three egg whites that I beat up.

I'll squeeze in the juice
of half a lemon.

Splash in half a teaspoon
of almond extract.

Sprinkle in half a teaspoon
of Kosher salt.

And then stop my mixer.

And then stop my mixer.

And add one-and-a-third
of a cup of all-purpose flour.

So, it's not a huge amount
of flour for a cake.

But the almond paste with the ground
almonds kinda acts like flour as well,

so it's there to provide structure
in addition to flavor and moisture.

I'll mix this on low
until it's just combined.

So, typically, when you
see Italian rainbow sweets,

they're in cookie form, but because
of the celebratory nature of today,

they're in cookie form, but because
of the celebratory nature of today,

I'm doing it in cake form.

'Kay, I'll get this off
of my mixer

and then I'm gonna fold
fold the egg whites in by hand

because I want to be careful to
treat them gently and not beat out

the air that I just worked
so hard to incorporate,

I do this about a third
at a time.

And to fold
just cutting down the middle,

sweeping around the outside and gently,
gradually incorporating the egg whites.

So, the batter is basically
done at this point.

But now comes the fun part.

I'll get my cake pans.

I'll get my cake pans.

Classic Italian rainbow
sweets are three layers,

and it goes green,
white and red.

And they're stacked on top of
each other to look like an Italian flag.

And usually it's just food
coloring that adds those colors.

But today, I'm changing things
up and using matcha for the green

and then red bean paste
for the red layer.

I'll pop in a third
of the batter

for the middle white
almond layer first.

Spread it to the edge
of the pan.

These are eight inch pans that I've
greased and lined with parchment.

These are eight inch pans that I've
greased and lined with parchment.

And now for my remaining
two layers,

I'll divide up the remaining
batter in half.

Matcha powder is very
finely ground green tea leaves.

So, it provides that faint
green tea flavor

as well as gorgeous
natural green earthy color.

I'll gently fold this in.

And see this color
come to life.

I'll plop this into
a cake pan.

Then again,
spread it out evenly.

All right, green layer
is dunzo.

And now for the third layer,
the red layer.

For this, I'm using red bean paste which
is one of my favorite dessert ingredients.

It's common in Asian desserts
and it's essentially just azuki beans

that are cooked down with
a ton of sugar.

And the flavor is
earthy and nutty.

I honestly vividly remember
the first time I ever tasted it

and I thought I was eating
a sibling of peanut butter.

And then I will accentuate this color with
a couple of drops of red food coloring.

Once I can no longer see
any streaks of the white batter,

I'm ready to add this
to the pan.

[softly] There we go.

I live for making
birthday cakes for my friends.

It's how I show my love.

My love language
is birthday cake.

I'll bake them at 350 degrees,
until they're just set.

Just about 10 minutes and the toothpick
will come out clean from the center.

[popping]

My cakes are cool,
they smell almondy.

And now I'll stack them up
with apricot jam as the glue.

I'll spread it all the way
to the edge.

You can really use any
flavored jam.

I prefer apricot or raspberry.

Pairs nicely with the almond.

And now the matcha layer.
Okay.

Now that all of the layers are
stacked up,

I wanna give this some time
for the jam to soak in

and really do its thing so that
everything can be stuck well together.

and really do its thing so that
everything can be stuck well together.

So to do that, I'll wrap this tightly in
plastic wrap and then weigh it down.

We got some tomato cans.

I'll stick this in the fridge
to set up for two hours.

And then I'll cover it in a
waterfall of chocolate ganache.

It's dark chocolate and heavy
cream that I whisk together.

Toasted sesame.

Happy birthday, friends!

You only celebrate 40 twice.

Coming up, two insanely good
dishes unite

to form one of the
best salads of all time.

You've never seen anything
like this. It's so delicious.

[clucking]

For a scrumptious side to our
pizza birthday extravaganza,

that might actually
steal the show,

I am making
chicken parm Caesar salad.

You get the best
of both worlds.

Crisp, crunchy,
well-dressed greens,

and fried hot cheesy chicken.

Here we go.

I'll make
the chicken parm first.

So to do that I've got
some chicken breasts

that I'm pounding out as thin
as you can get them.

that I'm pounding out as thin
as you can get them.

And this tenderizes the meat.

It makes it thinner

so that you have a great ratio of
crispy, crunchy, fried shell to meat.

And it also ensures
that it cooks evenly.

I've got it between layers of plastic wrap so
that I don't get chicken juices everywhere.

I'm just taking out all
my anger and frustration.

And that's looking good.

I've got all of my anger out.
I'm ready to dredge.

And now I've got a standard
dredging station setup.

Some flour, beaten egg and
bread crumbs.

Some flour, beaten egg and
bread crumbs.

Into the bread crumbs, I'm gonna
add some finely grated parmesan,

Which adds so much
more flavor.

Alright. Before I take the chicken
breasts through the dredging station,

I'll season them liberally on
both sides with kosher salt.

Alright, so first coat
in flour.

Get it fully coated,

and the flour will help
the egg stick.

I'll get it fully coated in the egg and
that'll help the bread crumbs stick.

And now I'll give it a full even
coating in the breadcrumbs.

And now I'll give it a full even
coating in the breadcrumbs.

Yeah, so make sure that there are no hidden
folds of chicken going un-breadcrumbed.

Because the more coverage of
bread crumb coating that you have

the more crispiness and flavor
you get.

I was late to the chicken parm
game.

For a while I couldn't
understand why you would coat

a perfectly good piece of
crispy fried chicken

with sauce
and make it kind of soggy.

But I think that's just because
I always had bad, soggy,

probably school cafeteria
chicken parms growing up.

probably school cafeteria
chicken parms growing up.

So I've since learned how
to make it the way I like it,

which is where
you maximize crispiness

but also have some pools
of sauciness where it counts.

Now I just love it.

And it's gonna make

the perfect crouton substitute
on my Caesar's salad.

Now that these are fully
coated in the bread crumbs,

I'll get them
into my pan here.

I've got a half inch of
neutral oil

heating over medium-high heat.

That's the sizzly sound
I wanna to hear.

That's how I know the oil's
hot enough.

That's how I know the oil's
hot enough.

And then I'll fry for a few minutes
on each side until they're golden.

These are already starting
to get crisp.

It smells so good.

I don't think I'll ever be able
to go back to regular croutons...

...after having
fried chicken croutons.

Oh, yeah.
That one's looking good.

I love seeing the craggily
edges where they get extra crispy.

I'll move these
to a wire rack now.

I'll move these
to a wire rack now.

This will allow any excess oil to drip off
and it'll also keep it crispy on the bottom.

So, I'm gonna be baking it
on the wire rack as well.

'Kay, I'll dredge and fry
the other two cutlets.

Heather and Nile are two
of my closest friends here

and they actually turned 40
recently.

We had a great delicious birthday
celebration for both of them.

It just seemed like there was a
month with not enough celebrations

It just seemed like there was a
month with not enough celebrations

and not enough birthdays.

So I thought, "Hey,
let's just celebrate again."

I feel like having
a pizza party.

While these finish up frying,
I'll get my mozzarella.

You gotta have meltiness
with chicken parm.

Let me get these out.

These are looking golden
and crisp.

I'll add a little store bought
tomato sauce to each cutlet.

I'll add a little store bought
tomato sauce to each cutlet.

I like just the right amount
of red sauce.

Enough to get some saucy bites

but not so much that you miss
those crunchy edges.

A sprinkle of mozzarella
for meltiness.

And lastly, some parm.

I'll get these in the oven now at
450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

I'll get these in the oven now at
450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

until the cheese is melty.

I wish you could
smell this right now.

I'm gonna let this cool slightly
and then slice into strips,

that will become the greatest
salad topper of all time.

Next, a chilly refreshing spirit
that's easy peasy lemon-squeezy.

Oh yeah, baby.

I'm hosting an Italian inspired
birthday dinner on the farm.

And for a killer side, I'm putting
together my chicken parm Caesar salad.

My chicken parm has cooled slightly
so that it won't wilt the greens.

And for the greens, I have a big
bowl of crisp, crunchy romaine.

I'll add some creamy Caesar dressing,
parmesan cheese, black pepper,

some tomatoes I roasted
with garlic and oregano.

Doing the added step of roasting
them just brings out more sweetness.

Doing the added step of roasting
them just brings out more sweetness.

And my chicken.

I'll chop this up into strips.

It really takes a lot for me to love
a salad that doesn't have croutons.

But when you replace it with fried,
cheesy chicken... Crouton who?

I'll toss this together and get everything
evenly coated with the dressing.

This is making me so happy.
I'm so excited to eat this.

Alright, I'll plate it up.

That is one giant salad.

I'll top it with the remaining
chicken parm.

I'll top it with the remaining
chicken parm.

Kind of like a random nestle as if it
just fell from chicken parm heaven.

A few curls
of parmesan cheese.

Black pepper

And now I will compose
the perfect bite.

It's so good.

I think the kids these days
would say, "This salad slaps."

A pizza party without a
cocktail is every Friday night

A pizza party without a
cocktail is every Friday night

watching princess movies
with my favorite 4 year old.

But this pizza party is grownups
only, so it gets a cocktail.

I am making my five spice limoncello
which is sweet, bright, strong

and has tons of depth.

Just like my friends.

I start with my lemon infused
vodka, which was a breeze to make.

I just peel the rind off
three pounds of lemons

using a sharp,
Y-shaped veggie peeler.

Then add those to a jar and
cover it with some 80 Proof vodka.

Seal it up and let it sit in
a cool, dark place for a week.

Seal it up and let it sit in
a cool, dark place for a week.

Every so often I checked
on it, gave it a little shake.

And it's taken on this really pretty
yellow color and all of that lemon flavor.

So I'll strain this through
a cheesecloth.

This is a great thing to do if
you ever have a surplus of lemons

from a lemon tree.

When life gives you lemons,
make limoncello.

Now that I have my
lemon infused vodka,

I'm gonna sweeten it with
some simple syrup.

I've got equal parts
sugar and water.

I've got equal parts
sugar and water.

I'll add some sliced ginger, and
sprinkle in some Chinese Five Spice,

which is [sniffs] a dark,
beautiful combination of spices.

It's got anise, Szechuan peppercorns,
cloves, cinnamon and fennel.

And I think the darkness of the Five
Spice is a great match to the brightness

of the lemon.

A few smashed cardamom pods for complexity,
and then some Szechuan peppercorns.

Szechuan peppercorns
are tingly.

They have such
a unique mouthfeel.

They have such
a unique mouthfeel.

And then I'll allow it
to simmer for 15 minutes,

so that all of these spices
can infuse it.

Limoncello was one of
those things that you stole it

from your parents liquor
cabinet in high school and drank.

'Cause it was like sweet lemon juice
that also got you drunk really fast

Not that I would know.

I never did that.

This simple syrup is
smelling heavenly.

I'll strain these out.

And pour it right directly
into the limoncello.

I'll bottle it up.

Oh, look. There's a
little for me to taste test.

That is so good.

Also so strong. Wow.

Let's get this party started.

Who even needs pizza?

Still to come, baloney like
you've never seen it before.

Yum!

For the star of our pizza party, allow
me to introduce you to Baloney pizza.

It's got loads of mozzarella, a
creamy garlic sauce, roasted tomatoes,

on a chewy, thin crust.

And it gets finished
with curls of baloney.

It's so good, and there's
no phony-baloney here.

I'll start by making
my cream sauce.

I'll melt two tablespoons
of butter in my sauce pan.

I didn't know about white
pizza until I moved to New York.

I didn't know about white
pizza until I moved to New York.

And there was just a white
pizza sitting there one day

and it called out to me, and I
tasted it and I fell in love instantly.

They're more prevalent now.
instead of red sauce,

Instead of red sauce, you
just use a mornay like this one.

Okay, I'll add one globe of
finely chopped garlic to the butter

and let it sizzle.

All right, once I can start to smell
my garlic, I'll add two tablespoons

of all-purpose flour.

So I'm creating a roux
combining the butter and the flour.

Now, I wanna cook it
for about a minute,

just to cook off
that flour flavor.

And then the base of my sauce
is gonna be heavy cream.

I'm going for it.

I'm going for it.

It'll be extra rich.

I'll whisk it continuously
to evenly disperse the roux.

I want it to be as smooth
as possible.

The sauce is super rich compared
to your classic pizza sauce.

I know this is thick enough because
I can see the tracks of my whisk.

While it's still hot, I'll sprinkle in
half a cup of grated parmesan.

And allow it to incorporate
and melt down.

I'll season with some salt.

And loads of black pepper.

[cracking]

Getting cacio e pepe vibes.

And then to cut
all of this richness,

I'll zest in some lemon and
also squeeze in some of the juice.

Always the sift to combine.

And that's it for my sauce.

Super simple.

I'll grab my dough and the rest of my
ingredients and then assemble these pies.

I'm ready to build my pizza.

I've got my pizza dough here.
I'm just using store bought.

I've allowed it to come
to room temperature.

And I've padded it out
to about an 11 inch circle,

and this is half a pound
of pizza dough.

and this is half a pound
of pizza dough.

I'll top with a layer
of my white sauce.

I'll spread it almost
all the way to the edge.

That'll leave
a half-inch crust.

I'll sprinkle with mozzarella.

Some roasted tomatoes.

Some olives.

Halved Castelvetrano olives.

I like these
because they're extra rich.

And then some fresh
thyme leaves.

Lastly, some parmesan.
Perfect. Extra saltiness and flavor.

Lastly, some parmesan.
Perfect. Extra saltiness and flavor.

All right. I'll get this out to my pizza
oven, so that this party can begin.

- [woman 1 laughing]
- [woman 2] No way.

My mom was like, "What?"

[woman 1 laughing]

Cheers!

- [both] Cheers!
- Happy birthday.

- Thank you.
- [Molly] Get a start on the limoncello,

and I'll finish the pizza.

Friday is preheated
to 800 degrees,

It'll only take a few minutes
for this to cook.

And if you don't
have a pizza oven,

you could bake
in your regular oven

at 500 degrees for a few
minutes until it's splotchy and crisp.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

She looks great.

I'll pile on some thin slices
of baloney.

It just kinda falls so
beautifully on top of the pizza.

Mmm!

I'll finish with a drizzle
of chili oil.

Okay, let's eat.

- Mmm! Yum!
- Smells so good.

This looks so beautiful too,
thank you.

[Molly] Oh, yeah,
that's gorg'.

- Happy birthday!
- Thank you!

Again. [laughs]

Thank you.

- [woman 1] Mmm.
- [Molly] Mmm-hmm?

Mmm!

Mmm!

- You love your baloney.
- [laughs]

What'd you wish for?

More pizza? [laughs]

Would cake count?

You've had Italian
almond cookies, right?

[woman 1] Oh, my gosh
that looks so cute!

- [Molly] So it's in cake form.
- Wow, you went all out.

[Molly] You only celebrate your
second 40th birthday once, usually.

[all laugh]

Sometimes twice. [laughs]