Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Apple Harvest - full transcript

MOLLY:
I've got my blogger friends

from the West Coast coming,

and I'm gonna give them
the farm experience

and put them to work
picking apples.

Then I'm going to make them
a cozy campfire dinner.

Fried cheesy pickles...

I can't get enough of pickles

and not just
because I'm preggers.

...my butternut, bacon,
and apple hotdish,

some gorgeous creamed spinach,

and my rich butterscotch
pudding.



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.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

These look like a party.

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

and a taste of the Midwest.

♪♪

My blogger friends are visiting
the farm for the first time,



so I am treating them to
my creamy butterscotch pudding.

It's got notes of maple and
nutmeg, and it's super smooth.

It's gonna be delicious.

To get started on the pudding,
I'll melt 1/4 cup of butter...

[ Sizzling ]

...1/4 cup of white sugar,
1/2 cup of brown sugar,

and then 1/4 cup
of maple syrup --

it complements the butterscotch
really nicely --

and I'll balance out
all that sugar

with 3/4 teaspoon
of kosher salt.

♪♪

Now it's starting to bubble,
so I'm gonna stop whisking,

and I'm gonna cook it
for about nine minutes

until this turns a deep-amber
color, and it'll smell amazing.

And these eggs will thicken up
the pudding

and make it really rich.

I'm using three whole eggs
and then two egg yolks.

And the yolks just increase
the amount of richness.

♪♪

I've got my eggs.

Now I'm gonna add 2 tablespoons
of cornstarch

to help it
thicken even more.

♪♪

I'll whisk this to combine.

I always think it's magic
making butterscotch

because it just starts out
as sugar and butter.

Okay.

This butterscotch mixture
is smelling so great.

Let's put this pudding together.

I've got my milk and cream
here at room temperature,

and I'm gonna add this directly
to the butterscotch mixture.

And it's gonna firm up, but I'm
gonna continue to cook it

so that it melts back down
and gets smooth.

And keeping the milk
at room temperature

helps the butterscotch dissolve
into the milk more easily.

It's also gonna make
a scary noise,

so just brace yourself for that.

[ Bubbling ]

♪♪

I have known
my blogger friends for years.

We have followed
each other's blogs.

We've traveled around together,

and so they're close,
real-life friends,

but also we text
all of the time.

So, they've never
visited me here.

I can't wait to show them
the farm

and the chickens and my cats.

I cook for them.

It's gonna be great.

The sugar has melted back down
into the milk and cream.

Next, I'm gonna temper my eggs
with this hot milk mixture.

And what that means is that
it's just gonna help

the eggs
incorporate smoothly.

I obviously don't want
to cook

and scramble my eggs
and get lumps.

So adding a few ladlefuls
of this mixture to the eggs

while whisking, it's gonna
prevent them from curdling

once they get into
the pudding mixture.

So with one hand, I'm gonna
whisk the eggs vigorously,

and with the other,

I'm gonna add a couple of
ladlefuls of this hot mixture.

Coordination is the name
of the game.

♪♪

If you do, for some reason,
find some lumps of cooked egg

in your pudding,
you can just press it

through a fine mesh sieve
to strain those out.

And now I'm gonna add this egg
mixture to the pot

with the butterscotch.

♪♪

This is some gorgeous
butterscotch color.

This will cook the eggs,
and as the eggs cook in,

they will thicken the mixture,
and during that time,

I'm gonna whisk continuously
so tha sys smooth.

Mmm.
It smells so good.

This is thick and gorgeous.

I can see the path of the whisk
as it goes through the pudding.

That's how I know
it's think enough,

and another way to tell
if the pudding is thick enough

is if it coats
a spoon like this.

♪♪

Mmm.
It's toasty.

It's sweet.

Just how a pudding should be.

I'm gonna take it off of the
heat, and I'll add my spices.

I'm gonna add some cinnamon,
nutmeg, and vanilla.

These flavors are gonna add
really nice warmth.

It's gonna make it perfect
for a post-apple-picking treat.

A teaspoon of vanilla,
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon,

and some freshly grated nutmeg.

I always buy whole nutmeg
and then grate it in.

The flavor is so much better
that way.

Cinnamon and nutmeg are adding
so much depth to this flavor.

I'll whisk to combine.

♪♪

At this point, if you wanted
to eat it, you could,

but I am gonna pour it
into cute glasses

and let it set in the fridge
to let it get even thicker.

I'm gonna use
a big measuring cup

to help me pour the pudding
into these glasses.

♪♪

They look so cute.

Now I'll let these set
for a couple of hours,

and then they're
gonna be perfect puddings.

♪♪

The puddings have sat
for a couple of hours,

and now I'm gonna finish them
off with fresh whipped cream,

a sprinkle of cinnamon,

and flaky salt
because it's good and crunchy.

♪♪

Coming up...

I'm getting to work
on my creamed spinach

before my blogger friends
arrive

to help me
with some apple picking.

Then I'm putting those apples
to good use

in my butternut, bacon,
and apple hotdish.

I'll fry up some cheesy pickles,

and then we'll all catch up
around a campfire dinner.

♪♪

My creamed spinach
with crispy cheese

is such a reliable side,

and you don't ever have to go
to the grocery store

before you make it
because it only uses staples

that you probably already
have in your house.

I'm gonna start by making
a cream sauce.

I have an onion cooking here
in some butter,

and next, I'm gonna
chop up some garlic to add.

I keep frozen spinach on hand
in my freezer at all times,

and the way that I make it
really tasty and craveable

is I add a lot of garlic
and a lot of cheese.

♪♪

I'll mince up two cloves
of garlic to add to my onions,

and two is really the bare
minimum you want to add.

Sometimes I add up to four
if I'm really feeling sassy.

Mmm.
Smells good.

I'll stir this around
and let it cook

for about a minute or two,

and now I'm gonna add
a couple tablespoons of flour.

And when that combines
with the butter in the pan,

that'll create a roux, and
that's gonna thicken my sauce.

♪♪

And while this cooks off,

I am going to grab
the creaminess --

my heavy cream.

Also, while I'm at it,
I'll grab my cheese.

A few tablespoons
will be just enough.

♪♪

I'll stir arou
until it thickens.

I'm gonna add my spinach.
It's frozen.

It's thawed for a few minutes,

but it still has a good deal
of moisture in it.

That's gonna help thin out
this very thick mixture.

♪♪

I'm just breaking up
the spinach with my spoon.

♪♪

I love having
this creamed spinach

with just a thick
slice of toast,

maybe with a sausage
on the side.

This needs a few more minutes to
cook down, and while that cooks,

I'm gonna make
my crispy cheese topping.

I have my shredded cheddar here
and a nonstick pan heating up.

This is the easiest thing
in the world.

All I'm gonna do is drop little
piles of cheese into the pan.

Those are gonna melt down,
and then,

when you remove them
from the pan and they cool,

they're gonna be a great,
crunchy, cheesy topping.

♪♪

It also makes the kitchen smell
like cheese,

which is never a bad thing.

♪♪

They are getting golden brown
and looking great.

I'm gonna transfer them
to a sheet pan.

So I'm gonna use my mini offset
spatula to scrape underneath it,

and look,
I barely have to work.

It just comes right off
of the pan.

Look at this.

How gorgeous is that?

It looks like cheesy lace.

It's so pretty.

I'll let these cool on my pan,

and then they're gonna
get nice and crispy.

Back to the spinach.

So, I have the rest
of my cheddar cheese,

and I'm gonna
sprinkle it all in.

Honestly, any cheese works
in this spinach.

I use cheddar because it has
a great sharp flavor.

Parmesan would be great.

Feta is amazing.

Spinach and feta --
match made in heaven.

You're gonna stir this around
until it melts.

I'll make sure to season it
with some salt and pepper.

I like a bunch of shakes
of hot sauce.

Just load this thing up
on flavor.

It is thick and creamy
and looking good.

Now, my mom will not allow me
to make creamed spinach

without adding
a tiny bit of nutmeg.

It makes the cream
a little sweeter.

It kind of rounds
out the flavor.

So, I'm gonna add just a tiny
bit of nutmeg right into my pot.

And next I'm gonna add
a squeeze of lemon

and brighten
the whole thing up.

♪♪

Gonna have a quick taste
to check for seasoning.

♪♪

Needs a little more salt...

and some more fresh pepper.

Oh, this is gonna be so good.

I never knew I could
love spinach this much.

And now to top it, I'll break up
my cheese crunchies

and put them right on top.

Look how crispy
they got.

Mmm.

Yum.

With every bite
of creamy spinach,

we're gonna get a nice hit
of crunchy cheese.

My friends are gonna love this.

♪♪

My blogger friends are all here.

They're right on time to help me
pick our apples

for tonight's hotdish.

Molly, what kind of apples
are these?

-These are Gala apples.
-Ooh!

Yeah. Good for baking.
-Cool.

They're nice and firm
and a little bit tart.

They're gonna be perfect
in the hotdish tonight.

WOMAN:
They're so beautiful.

[ Indistinct conversations,
laughter ]

-Cheers.
-Cheers.

[ Laughter ]

Mmm.

♪♪

Okay. All right.

Do you guys want to go
meet the chickens?

-Yes!
-Yes!

Oh, my gosh!

MOLLY: Coming up, I'm using
today's little apple harvest

to make my butternut, bacon,
and apple hotdish.

Then I'm wrapping up
some cheesy pickles

for a salty, snappy touch
for tonight's campfire.

[ Clicking tongue ]
You want some apple?

MOLLY: While my blogger friends

are playing
with my animal friends,

I'm getting going on the main
dish for tonight's dinner.

We get tons of apples on
our trees this time of year,

and one of my favorite ways
of using them in a savory dish

is with my butternut,
apple, and bacon hotdish.

It's essentially a delicious pan
of butternut squash, apples,

and bacon covered
with biscuits.

What could be better?

So, to start, I have some bacon
crisping up in my pan,

and I'm chopping up some onions

that I'm gonna cook
in the bacon fat.

I'll transfer this bacon
to a paper towel.

It'll get nice and crispy
that way.

And that bacon fat is gonna
infuse these onions

with so much good flavor.

And I'm gonna cook my onions
in this bacon fat

for about five minutes
until they're soft.

And, meanwhile, I'll grab
my squash and some thyme.

I love the colors of this dish.

There's the orange
from the squash

and little,
green flecks from the thyme,

and the purple onions are great,

and it's perfect for a fall day.

My favorite way of taking
the leaves off of thyme

is to hold the stem
by the end and strip off

all the leaves in one swoop.

I really like using
butternut squash

because it's slightly sweet
and it kind of bridges the gap

between the really sweet apples
and the salty bacon

and it just provides
a hearty bed

for all of this deliciousness.

Now I'm gonna add my squash.

And this is such
a hearty vegetable

that it will take
some time to soften.

And the thyme.

And some fresh black pepper.

[ Grinding ]

And always,
with butternut squash,

I like to add
a little bit of heat,

and so a few pinches of crushed
red pepper will do the trick.

And I'm gonna toss this in
with my onions

and let the squash
start to soften --

about seven minutes.

Mmm.
It's smelling so good.

The first time I ever learned
about a hotdish

was when I moved to the farm,
and I quickly fell in love

because it is everything
you could ever want

when it's 40 degrees below zero

and it's the type of thing
that turns up at potlucks,

or you make it for a friend
if they've just had a baby

or they're going
through a rough time.

So, if someone makes you
a hotdish,

it means they love you.

While this softens,
I'm gonna chop up my apples.

These are my beautiful apples
from the tree out back.

♪♪

I'm just cubing up two apples

that are not too sweet
and pretty sturdy,

so they hold up
when they're baking.

♪♪

So, I am taking a liberty here.

Typically, a hotdish is made
with a cream soup.

I'm not doing that with this,
but trust me,

when that butternut
squash cooks down,

it's gonna be so creamy and rich
that you won't even miss it.

Next, I'm gonna add some stock
and some dry white wine

to pump up this flavor.

I'm gonna add about
1/4 cup of it.

♪♪

And I'll add a cup of stock,
which will add nice flavor.

Okay, I've been smelling
this bacon this whole time.

I have to chop it up now.

And taste it.

Apples and bacon are just one

of those salty/sweet
combinations that I love.

Just have to make sure
it's okay.

Mm-hmm.
All right.

I'm gonna add this
to the pot now.

Mmm.

There's so much autumnal
goodness in this dish.

It's like sweater weather
in food form.

Every hotdish needs a good
starchy topping,

so I'm gonna let this simmer
for about 15 minutes,

and in that time, I'm gonna make
biscuits to go all over the top.

The bottom is gonna soak up
all the flavors of the squash,

bacon, and apples, and the tops
are gonna get crispy.

It's like a savory cobbler.

It's gonna be
the best thing ever.

♪♪

I'll get started
with my 2 cups of flour,

2 teaspoons
of baking powder,

and 3/4 teaspoon of salt
to a food processor.

I'll pulse to combine.

And then I'll drop in 14
tablespoons of unsalted butter

that is cold and cubed.

I'll pulse that until it's small
and pea-sized.

And then I'll drizzle in
1/4 cup of heavy cream

and continue to pulse
until the mixture is combined.

I'll turn it out
onto a floured surface,

roll it out to half-inch thick,
and cut out my biscuits.

This is gonna be a work
of biscuit art.

Now, the biscuits will go
on top of the hotdish.

♪♪

They'll get brushed
with egg wash.

These look awesome.

Sprinkled with pepper.

And the whole thing will get
baked at 425 for 20 minutes.

♪♪

Still to come, I'm frying up
some cheesy pickles

with a zesty dipping sauce.

Then I'm pulling my hotdish out

just in time to meet these girls
out by the campfire for dinner.

You want it?
[ Laughs ]

My fried cheesy pickles

are an homage to the best
late-night food in town,

at The Toasted Frog.

They're dill pickle spears
wrapped in Havarti cheese

and deep-fried
in an egg-roll wrapper --

three ingredients that,
when they combine,

produce magic.

I'm gonna drain some dill pickle
spears, which are extra crisp.

And I always hold on
to my pickle brine

because that's
a great ingredient,

especially in salad dressings.

I'll dump these onto some paper
towels so that they can dry.

We do not want any soggy
cheesy pickles.

And now I've got
some Havarti cheese here,

which melts so nicely in these

and also adds kind of
a caramel flavor

that goes great
with the pickles.

And all I'll do is wrap a slice
of cheese around a pickle spear.

And now I'll take
an egg-roll wrapper.

And these egg-roll wrappers
are really easy to find

at the grocery store,
in the refrigerated section.

And I'm gonna place it down
in a diamond shape,

and I'll place
the cheesy pickle on top.

And then I'm gonna roll it up,
starting from the bottom.

And then I'm gonna wet the edges
with some water,

which will help it seal shut.

I'm gonna fold the edges
in toward the center

and then continue rolling

until they're all rolled up
in a perfect little roll.

How easy was that?

♪♪

They are ready to fry.

I have a couple inches
of canola oil heating in my pan.

And then I'm gonna fry these

until they're golden brown
and crisp on all sides.

Now, I can't get enough
of pickles,

especially when they're wrapped
in cheese and deep-fried

in an egg-roll wrapper.

And not just because
I'm preggers.

These are looking great.

They are golden and crisp.

I'm gonna transfer these
to a wire rack

so they can cool slightly,

and then I'm gonna fry up
the rest of my pickles.

♪♪

I really cannot wait
to eat these.

And now I'm gonna mix up
my sriracha ranch

dipping sauce for these.

It's exactly what it sounds
like -- ranch dressing

and then I'm gonna
add sriracha to taste.

♪♪

Now it's time to cut these,

and it's important
to cut them on a bias.

And now you've got almost
like a spoon for the sauce.

I've got to taste these.

♪♪

They are crispy and cheesy,

and that pickle in the middle
is so juicy.

These are so, so good.

♪♪

My hotdish should be
just about ready.

[ Gasps ]

It looks beautiful,
and it smells amazing.

My friends are gonna love it.

♪♪

I've got hotdish, you guys!

Oh, my gosh!

I want
an extra-crispy biscuit.

Okay.

WOMAN #2: Oh, my gosh.
Those flavors.

It tastes
like Thanksgiving.

-It seriously does.
-Oh, my gosh.

♪♪

What do you think
of the spinach, Nick?

I could eat this all day,
three times a day.

[ Laughs ]

So much
cheesy goodness.

People come
from far and wide

just for these
cheesy pickles.

I believe it.

Did you save room for dessert?

-[ Gasps ]
-Oh, my gosh!

These are butterscotch pudding.

WOMAN #2: Cute!
They're adorable!

[ Chuckling ]

And this is the best pudding
I've ever had.

-To pudding!
-To pudding!