Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 3 - Entertaining the Girls - full transcript

All: Cheers.

MOLLY: I've got my girlfriends
coming over tonight

so I am making my go-to
entertaining menu.

There's my make ahead
sweet rhubarb short ribs.

They just explode with flavor.

Served with some
crispy saffron rice.

My side dish is gonna be
sauteed green beans

with a potato chip crunch.

And for a sweet treat,
whipped cheesecakes

with a pistachio crust,
topped with fresh raspberries.

♪♪



Oh, yah. Mmm!

Hey!
This is me -- Molly Yeh.

I'm a cookbook author
and food blogger.

This is my husband, Nick.

This is our new addition.

And this is our home, our farm,

on the North Dakota/
Minnesota border,

the place where I eat, sleep,

and breathe food.
[ Shutter clicks ]

These look like a party.

My food is a delicious mix of
my Chinese and Jewish heritage

and the taste of the Midwest.

♪♪

For my girlfriends
dinner tonight



I am treating them
to my rhubarb short ribs.

They're sweet, they're sour,
they're fall of the bone tender,

and they just explode
with flavor.

I cannot wait to eat them.

To begin,
I'm gonna give them a dry rub.

I'll take 2 tablespoons
of sugar,

2 tablespoons of kosher salt...

♪♪

...a teaspoon of fennel seeds,

and 1/2 a teaspoon

of ground all spice
for some warmth.

And this is gonna infuse
the short ribs with flavor,

and it's gonna start
to tenderize the meat.

So, I'll just rub this
all over them using my hands

and making sure that

I cover all of the surfaces
of the short ribs.

I'm using some 4-inch
bone-in short ribs.

The bone lends a little bit
more flavor than boneless

but boneless will work,

and, honestly, any size
will work with this recipe.

And I'm making sure to cover
all sides of the short ribs

with my spice rub.

This can all get poured in.

It's gonna seem like
a lot of salt,

but that is gonna add
so much flavor

and goodness to these.

♪♪

Now I'll just cover these
with plastic wrap

and then stick them
in the refrigerator

for at least three hours.

♪♪

[ Chickens clucking ]

My short ribs have been soaking
up the goodness of a dry rub,

and now I'm ready
to finish off my dish.

So I have two onions here.

I'm gonna use a whole
head of garlic,

and now I'm getting some rhubarb
from my freezer.

You're not a Minnesotan
if you don't have

rhubarb in your freezer
at all times.

I'll chop up
my onions and garlic.

Short ribs are probably
my favorite main course

to make for any dinner party.

They're really hard to screw up,

because they're
the type of thing

that you can cook in advance,

and they only
get better with time.

So I can actually prep
the entirety of this recipe

and have it ready
the day before.

Stick it in the refrigerator

and keep it until the next day
when it's time to serve,

and I can just reheat them,
and they're ready to go.

I'm just slicing these onions
into half moons,

and then they're gonna cook down
underneath the short ribs

and get really nice and soft.

Next I'm gonna peel and chop
an entire head of garlic.

♪♪

♪♪

I don't need to cook them
before I put them in the oven,

so this is just a cold pan.

♪♪

And next I'm gonna dump
in my frozen rhubarb.

Rhubarb is so tart,
but with the sweet onions

it's just gonna work
so beautifully.

You know, typically
you see it in desserts.

I figured I have so much rhubarb
in my backyard,

I can't just eat it all
in sweet things.

So I started experimenting
with savory applications for it,

and it turns out they play
really nicely with short ribs.

So if you're the kind of person

that likes salty
and sweet together,

this recipe is perfect for you.

I'm gonna toss these
with some olive oil

to help them soften in the oven.

I don't need too much olive oil

because there will be
some of that short rib fat

coming down and soaking
into these onions and rhubarb.

♪♪

Now I'll take my short ribs

and place them right
on top of the onions.

♪♪

It's kind of a balancing act.

But trust me, there will be
some space created in this pan

once the onions cook down.

♪♪

Now I have my oven set to 475.

I'm gonna cook these uncovered
for 20 minutes

to get a nice even
brown coating on top

and that's gonna
lock in their flavor.

♪♪

[ Inhales sharply ]

These short ribs have
a beautiful brown exterior.

They smell so rich,

and I'm getting that
hint of sweetness

from the onions and rhubarb.

And now the first thing
I'm gonna do is,

I'm gonna turn my oven
temperature down to 325,

because now that they have
this crisp exterior,

I'm gonna cook the middle slowly

to make them extra soft
and juicy and tender.

And now I'll finish these off

with some rhubarb jam
and chicken stock.

In the absence of rhubarb,

short ribs would be great
with pomegranate,

apples would be really nice.

Anything that's sweet
and a little tart.

Next, I'm gonna add enough
low sodium chicken broth

so that the brazing liquid
comes up half way

along the side of
the short ribs.

Okay, fresh black pepper.

♪♪

Now I'll cover this
so that the brazing liquid

can work it's magic,

and I'm gonna stick it
in the oven at 325

for about two and a half hours

until the meat starts
to fall off the bone.

♪♪

Coming up, I get started
on my crispy saffron rice.

Then it's on to the some
heavenly whipped cheesecakes

with a pistachio crust.

These are so pretty.

And my green beans
with the potato chip crunch

before the girls arrive.

♪♪

For a side to my short ribs,

I am going to make
my crispy saffron rice,

which is a perfect combination
of crispy, buttery rice

and the warm floral notes
of saffron.

Saffron is the stamen
of a flower

that carries
so much unique flavor.

I'm only using
1/8 of a teaspoon --

a little bit goes a long way.

I'm gonna add a pinch of salt,

and that's just gonna help
the saffron break up,

and I'm gonna grind
it into a powder.

Okay, I have some basmati rice
that's soaked for a bit,

and I'm boiling it in
some heavily salted water.

I'm gonna grab a couple
tablespoons of the boiling water

and mix it with the saffron
so that it dissolves,

and this is gonna help
the saffron bloom

and develop the flavors.

That's gonna be gorgeous
on my table.

I'm gonna set this aside
and let it do it's thing

while I drain the rice.

Boiling and draining rice
like this keeps it fluffy

and prevents clumps
from forming.

I'm rinsing this with cool water
to stop the cooking.

♪♪

Now I'll set this aside as
I heat up my clarified butter.

I like using clarified butter
in this recipe

because it has
a higher smoke point,

and it also has more
buttery flavor.

You can find this in pretty
much any grocery store

next to the oils.

I do not want my rice
sticking to the pan

because it's so gorgeous
when it comes out of the pan,

and it looks like
a cake of yellow rice,

and that's why I'm using
a non-stick pan.

Now I'm gonna swirl in
my saffron water

that has bloomed by now.

♪♪

It's sizzling.
It's looking and smelling great.

Now I'm gonna add my rice.

♪♪

So I'm gonna pack it down,

and it's gonna soak up
that buttery saffrony goodness,

and now I'm gonna poke
some holes in the rice

to release the steam.

That's gonna help the bottom
get extra crispy.

And now I wanna catch the steam

so it doesn't go
back into the rice

and make it soggy.

So I'm covering this pan
with a clean kitchen towel.

And now I'm gonna cover it
with a tightly fitting lid,

and then I'll fold up
the towel to make sure

that towel doesn't burn.

I'll cook this on medium-high
for 35 minutes,

and then I'll reduce
the temperature to medium-low

for 10 more minutes.

♪♪

It's the moment of truth.

Now it's important that
I lift up this lid evenly,

I don't want to let
that condensation

fall down back into the rice.

Now I'm gonna bring it over
here to my serving plate,

and I'm gonna flip it out.

One, two, three.

[ Sighs deeply ]

♪♪

Yes, okay.

And the true test of crispy rice

is if it makes a nice sound
when you thump it.

[ Clacking ]

This is gonna go perfect
with my short ribs.

♪♪

For a dessert
for my girlfriends tonight

I am making them my light
and fluffy whipped cheesecake

with pistachio crust.

To start, I'm gonna make
my pistachio crust.

I have some roasted
pistachios here.

It's always important to use
toasted or roasted nuts for this

because that will
bring out their flavor.

And then I'm gonna add a cup
of them to my food processor.

I'm gonna grab 1/4 cup of sugar,

a pinch of kosher salt
to bring out these flavors.

Now I'll blend this until
they form a course crumb.

♪♪

This looks perfect.

And it smells so good
and pistachioey.

Okay, I'm gonna add
3 tablespoons of butter,

and that's just to hold
this mixture together,

so that it forms a crust.

♪♪

[ Blender pulsing ]

Oh, yeah, that's good.
That's perfect.

So the mixture's starting
to clump together,

and it might look like it won't
hold together as a crust,

but a trick that I do is,

I take some of it in my hand
and squeeze it together,

and if it sticks, it's ready.

This is perfect.

I gotta taste it.

Mmm, the crust is not too sweet.

It's nice and rich and nutty,

and now I'm gonna add it
to my serving glasses.

♪♪

I'm eyeballing this
so that they're even.

♪♪

Now I'm gonna pack this
mixture down with the muddler.

♪♪

I'm making my friends dig
for the best part.

All right, now I'll
set these aside

while I make my filling.

♪♪

This filling is
fluffy and mouse-like,

and it comes together so easily.

I'll grab some yogurt
and heavy cream

out of my fridge.

I also have some
cream cheese softening here.

I'll take half a block of that.

♪♪

And I'm gonna mix this
with some powdered sugar,

and this filling is
not too sweet.

It's great.

♪♪

And next, I'll add
a pinch of salt

to bring out these flavors.

Some vanilla --
love vanilla --

and almond extract,

which actually really enhances

the pistachio flavor
in the crust.

♪♪

Next, I'll add
1/2 a cup of yogurt.

It's giving me that
tangy deliciousness

that I cannot get enough of.

And I'll mix this to combine.

♪♪

Okay, and next I'm gonna add 1/2
a cup of heavy whipping cream.

So that's another easy thing
about this recipe.

It's 1/2 a cup of cream cheese,

1/2 a cup of yogurt,
and 1/2 a cup of heavy cream.

And now I'm gonna mix this
to stiff peaks.

That'll take
a little bit longer,

closer to a minute.

♪♪

Okay.
We're looking great.

Now I'm gonna put it
into a piping bag,

and I'm gonna use that to put it
into my serving glasses.

It's not too heavy.

We are having quite
a heavy meal tonight,

so a lighter dessert is gonna
be that perfect compliment.

♪♪

Okay, they're looking
so fluffy and good.

Now these are gonna set
in the fridge for about an hour.

♪♪

Coming up, I'll finish
off my cheesecakes

with a delicious
raspberry topping.

Then I get to work on
my sauteed green beans,

and pull my ultra-tender
short ribs out of the oven.

These girls are in
for a savory treat.

♪♪

MOLLY: While my cheesecakes
finish chilling,

I'm gonna add some brightness
and fruitiness to the top

with a quick and easy
raspberry topping.

♪♪

And I'm gonna jazz
them up a little bit

with some lemon juice,

which will add a nice
tartness and dimension.

♪♪

Okay, I'm gonna add some sugar
to my berries,

and mix them up
and allow them to macerate.

All that means is,

they're gonna release
their juices,

and create a syrup,

and they're gonna marinate
in that syrup

and the flavor is just gonna
get amplified and delicious.

I'm gonna jump-start
this juice releasing party

by mashing a few of the berries.

♪♪

They're bright and glossy,

and now I'm gonna add them
to the top of my cheesecakes.

♪♪

And I'll just spoon a nice,
healthy spoonful of raspberries

over the top of the cheesecakes.

I love the contrast of color

between the white cheesecake

and that bright red
raspberry syrup,

and the green pistachios.

These are so pretty.

They're looking gorgeous.

The ladies are gonna love them.

♪♪

♪♪

As a side for my dinner,
I am making

my sauteed green beans
with potato chip crunch.

They're a delicious,
crunchy, flavorful side.

They're gonna add great color
to the table.

I have some garlic and onion

that have been slow cooking
in some olive oil in my pan.

They've been cooking
low and slow for 40 minutes

and that allows them
to get golden and crunchy

without developing
any bitter flavor.

So while this oil was cooking
that garlic and onion,

it got all of that flavor.

So I'm gonna use this
to cook the green beans now.

I'm gonna increase
my temperature to medium,

and I have my green beans that
have been washed and trimmed.

And I'll cook these just
for about 7 to 10 minutes

until they start
to develop some color

and their texture is tender.

♪♪

And while that's going,
I'm gonna finish up

my potato chip crunch.

♪♪

I'm gonna toast up some almonds
and sesame seeds,

which will add
a nice nutty flavor.

Before I toast my almonds, I'm
gonna give them a rough chop.

So, I want this topping
to have some texture,

so some bigger pieces of almonds
are just fine.

And I'm also gonna
add sesame seeds.

♪♪

While these are toasting
and my green beans are sauteing,

I'm gonna chop up
my garlic and onions.

It smells nice and pungent,

and you can tell there's some
excellent crunch going on.

♪♪

Let me just check
on my almonds.

These do tend to toast
pretty quickly.

So I'm just looking for
a nice golden-brown color

and a toasty smell.

And I'm gonna continue
to toss my green beans

so that they get cooked
evenly on all sides.

♪♪

This is kind of, like,
one of those octopus dishes

where I wish that
I had eight arms,

but it's gonna be fine.

This is what I came here for.

This is the reason
why I make this dish,

is so that I can have an excuse
to buy potato chips.

♪♪

I can never keep them
in the house,

otherwise I'll eat them all.

I pretend like
I'm just buying some

for this vegetable topping,
and then they're healthy

but really I use

like two handfuls
of this topping

and then the rest of them,
I eat with ketchup.

So, I'm gonna take
two handfuls of potato chips

and put them in a bag
so that I can crunch them up,

and these are extra
crunchy Kettle chips.

♪♪

I'm not completely
annihilating them.

I don't want it to be
potato chip powder.

I want texture.
I want crunch.

These are gonna go into the bowl
with my garlic and onions.

I'm gonna check on my almonds
and sesame seeds.

Mmm, and they're smelling
just deeply toasted and nutty.

I'll pour this in,

and now I'm gonna add
some Aleppo pepper,

which is a pepper
that's fruity and sweet,

and it's really easy
on the heat.

If you have trouble finding it,

you can just add a pinch
of crushed red pepper.

♪♪

And then I'm gonna mix it up
and taste it,

and then decide
if I wanna add salt

because the potato chips,

if they're really salty
on their own,

this might not need
any more salt.

♪♪

My gosh, this smells so good.

Let me get in here.

♪♪

Oh that's good.
That's really good.

Does not need anymore salt.

My potato chips
are salty enough.

Okay, the green beans
have been sauteing

for about seven minutes.

They're starting to soften,

Their color is a deeper green.
They're looking great.

So I'm gonna turn off the heat.
I'll grab my serving plate.

♪♪

And I'm also gonna grab a lemon
which is really gonna help

bring all these
flavors together.

♪♪

These look and smell delicious.

I'm gonna add just
a little bit of salt

to make sure that
the green beans

get some seasoning,
and some pepper.

♪♪

And then the zest and juice
of half a lemon will

bring all these
flavors together.

♪♪

And then I'm gonna spoon
my topping all over the top.

And then put the rest
on the table,

in case anybody wants more.

Me.

♪♪

Beautiful.
These look great.

♪♪

Still to come,
I'm finishing off

my delicious rhubarb short ribs,

and then it's show time.

-Ooh.
-Oh my gosh.

♪♪

MOLLY: My short ribs
should be just about done.

I'm starting to smell it.

[ Sizzling ]

Oh yeah, ahh!
[ Inhales sharply ]

Oh, my gosh.
This smells so good.

I can smell the rhubarb.

I can smell the sweetness
of the onions,

and, of course,
the meaty short ribs

smell insane.

My girlfriends are
gonna go crazy.

♪♪

To serve, I'll transfer
the short ribs

and the vegetables
to my serving platter.

♪♪

Now I have a ton of tasty
liquid left over in my pan,

and that's packed with flavor.

So I'll bring it to a boil

and reduce it to a simmer,

and then I'm gonna stir in
a touch of butter

to make it even more rich.

♪♪

And to serve, I'll spoon
my sauce over the short ribs.

Give them a sprinkle of parsley,
'cause it's pretty,

and then they'll be ready to go.

Okay, I gotta have a taste.

♪♪

Mmm!

They are sweet like candy,
and so meaty.

The tartness of the rhubarb
comes right at the end.

These are so, so good.

♪♪

-She was just --
-She was just awesome.

-Yeah, just...
-Ooh.

Oh, my gosh.

-That looks amazing.
-We got short ribs.

-Yum.
-I'm gonna dig in.

[ Laughter ]

-This looks so good.
-[ Laughs ]

-Do you have any bibs.
-[ Laughter ]

-These are so tender.
-Melt in my mouth.

-Yeah exactly.
-This is perfect, the rhubarb.

-It's so good.
-Can you taste the rhubarb?

I can taste it.

Are these potato chips
on top of here?

MOLLY: Yeah.

-What?
-I love it.

It was basically just my excuse
for buying potato chips.

Oh my gosh.

-I love it.
-Thank you.

So good.

Time for dessert.

Yes! Yes!
Yes! Yes!

[ Laughter ]

-Amazing.
-Oh, my gosh.

-They're so pretty.
-So good.

-Adorable.
-Looks so good.

Okay, so you have to get
a bite all the layers.

-This is good.
-Mmm!

-You get the lemon.
-Yeah.

Oh, what have you
have there?

-Look what the cat dragged in.
-What is that?

-[ Laughter ]
-No boys allowed.

-Please tell me there's more?
-Do you want another one?

This looks amazing.

Come pull up a chair Nick.

Nope, just passing through.

Wait, who's
that one for?

All the other husbands that
weren't invited.

[ Laughter ]