Girl Meets Farm Season 14 Episode 09
It's the beginning of the beet harvest, and for all the non-farmers out there, Molly Yeh hosts a lawn game day filled with Hot Honey Buffalo Cauliflower dunked in blue cheese, crispy Filet-ope-Fish sandwiches with ketchup tartar and a refreshing Watermelon Feta Tomato Salad on the side. For dessert, Molly has Glorified Rice, a Midwest potluck staple, that's all the best parts of cookie salad and rice pudding in one dish!
Year started: 2018
IMDB rating: 6.5
Categories: Food
Stars: Molly Yeh
It's the beginning of the beet harvest, and for all the non-farmers out there, Molly Yeh hosts a lawn game day filled with Hot Honey Buffalo Cauliflower dunked in blue cheese, crispy Filet-ope-Fish sandwiches with ketchup tartar and a refreshing Watermelon Feta Tomato Salad on the side. For dessert, Molly has Glorified Rice, a Midwest potluck staple, that's all the best parts of cookie salad and rice pudding in one dish!
Year started: 2018
IMDB rating: 6.5
Categories: Food
Stars: Molly Yeh
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00It's the beginning of beet harvest.
00:02And for all the non-farmers out there,
00:04I'm hosting a long game day filled with food.
00:07Cheers!
00:08My hot honey buffalo cauliflower dunked in Irby Ranch.
00:12Well, I've got enough for me.
00:13I don't know what the other girls are going to do.
00:15Crispy golden filet-oap fish sandwiches with ketchup tartar.
00:19These are going to slap.
00:21And a refreshing watermelon tomato feta salad on the side.
00:24I would eat this with a big hunk of toast.
00:27And for dessert, a potluck staple,
00:29my take on glorified rice.
00:31It's the best parts of a dessert salad and rice pudding
00:34all in one dish.
00:35Yeah, this is totally glorious.
00:37Ready to see me get crushed in a lawn game?
00:41Let's eat.
00:44Look at these beauties.
00:45Hey, this is me, Molly A.
00:48This is my husband, Nick.
00:49This is our growing family.
00:51And this is our farm on the North Dakota, Minnesota border.
00:54The place where I eat, sleep, and breathe food.
00:59It's the start of beet harvest.
01:04And while the farmers are away, the non-farmers, we're going to play.
01:08I'm hosting my sister-in-laws for a day of lawn games and good food.
01:13And for something sweet, I'm making my spin on glorified rice,
01:17which is creamy and loaded with pineapple chunks and mochi bits.
01:21It's sort of like rice pudding, but fluffier and served chilled.
01:26You might be nodding along, you know what I'm talking about,
01:28or you're scratching your head right now and you're like,
01:30what the heck is this?
01:31It's one of those classic church potluck staples that are so lovable.
01:36I'm starting with one cup of long grain rice,
01:39which will stay fluffy when it's chilled in the mixture.
01:43Other types of rice, like short grain rice, tend to clump together and get too gummy.
01:47I'll give this a rinse. Rinsing rice with any excess starch helps it stay fluffy.
01:53Okay. And then you can cook this up either in a saucepan with one and a half cups of water
01:59or in a rice cooker.
02:01I love using my rice cooker any chance I can get.
02:04I finally got a little one like this this year, and I use it at least once a week.
02:08If you're using a rice cooker, just cook up your rice according to the directions.
02:12I'll add a good pinch of salt to season the rice.
02:15Dun-dun-dun-dun! Hit start. Easy-peasy.
02:18I'll let this cook while I make my whipped cream.
02:21So typically with glorified rice, you would be thawing a frozen thing of store-bought whipped topping.
02:27But whenever I make a dessert-y salad like this, I love to use fresh whipped cream.
02:32It just tastes so good and it's so easy to make.
02:34So I'll combine one and a half cups of cold, heavy cream.
02:37You want it to be cold, which will help it beat up fluffy.
02:40With three quarters of a cup of powdered sugar.
02:43And then a teaspoon and a half of vanilla bean paste.
02:46Which is just an easy way to get that pure vanilla bean flavor.
02:50You can also use vanilla extract, but I'm making it a little fancy for my sister-in-laws.
02:54And I'll use my electric mixer to beat this to stiff peaks.
02:59And then you never want to over beat whipped cream, otherwise you could end up with butter.
03:03Once I can see the tracks of the whisk, I can check to see if it's ready.
03:07And if it holds a stiff peak like that, I'm good.
03:10So I'm channeling a little bit of Asian energy with my version of glorified rice.
03:15And since coconut is such a common ingredient in Asian desserts, I figured it would be delicious
03:20to fold in some coconut cream to the whipped cream.
03:22The coconut cream is just the thick creamy solids off of the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk.
03:29It was my sister-in-law that introduced me to glorified rice.
03:33It is in the same category as candy bar salads, cookie salads, other salads that do not contain
03:40any vegetables, but are so much fun and lovable.
03:44Everybody has their own spin on it.
03:46And now I'm doing my spin on it.
03:48So fun.
03:49The whipped cream element is done.
03:51I'll get together my rice mixture.
03:54Half a cup of pineapple juice.
03:58Two tablespoons of sugar.
04:00A little bit of vanilla bean paste.
04:02And a good pinch of salt.
04:03I'll whisk this together just to dissolve the sugar.
04:08My rice is ready.
04:15Give it a little fluff so that it doesn't all stick together.
04:19And then toss this in.
04:21I don't want the rice to be hot when I'm folding it in with the whipped cream,
04:24because then it'll melt the whipped cream.
04:26The cold pineapple juice will help that along.
04:28I'll toss in the irrequisite pineapple.
04:31All of the sweet salads seem to have an assigned fruit.
04:34Candy bar salad has apples.
04:36Cookie salad has mandarin oranges.
04:38Glorified rice has pineapple.
04:39I know sometimes when you see glorified rice, it has those rainbow mini marshmallows in it.
04:44But I'm using mochi bits because I love mochi bits.
04:49These are just chewy pieces of rice dough.
04:52They're slightly sweet.
04:53They're super nostalgic for me because I would always get them on ice cream in Chinatown.
04:58And you can order them online and find them at an Asian grocery store.
05:01Typically, maraschino cherries are in a glorified rice.
05:04I love luxardo cherries, though.
05:06They're just like darker.
05:08It's like glorified rice got a little bit fancy.
05:11Look at all these fun colors.
05:13This is something you would see on a potluck table next to a popcorn salad.
05:16Okay?
05:18I'll finish this off by folding in two-thirds of the whipped mixture.
05:22And then reserve the remainder of it for a topping.
05:25The game that we're playing today is called round net.
05:29And it's sort of like a lawn version of volleyball.
05:32It consists of a round net that's low to the ground that you just hit a ball on.
05:37My sister-in-law Anna and her sister-in-laws who are coming,
05:40Anna and Kelsey are freakishly good at this game.
05:45I'm not.
05:47When I cause my team to lose, at least I've brought the glorified rice.
05:50So that's my consolation.
05:52It looks so much fun with the colorful mochi bits.
05:55All right, I'm gonna make them even cuter now.
06:00Coconut flakes, more mochi, and cherries.
06:05Digging in.
06:10I'm gonna make it a little bit more.
06:13Mmm.
06:14Between the creamy coconut and that bright pineapple,
06:18and those chewy little mochi bits.
06:20Yeah, this is totally glorious.
06:25Coming up, a sweet and spicy side that'll leave your mouth wanting more.
06:30For a side dish that'll crush the competition, I am making my hot honey buffalo cauliflower.
06:44It's crunchy, deep-fried florets of veggies tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce that is a one-way ticket to Glossyville.
06:53If I'm missing from the game, you'll know where to find me.
06:55It is standing over the plate of this.
06:57I'm starting with a big two-pound head of cauliflower that I've broken into florets.
07:02This is still a little damp from rinsing it, which will help the coating stick.
07:06I'll season with a good couple of pinches of salt.
07:09And then I'll toss this all with two tablespoons each of cornstarch and all-purpose flour.
07:14And that'll help the batter stick.
07:16And that batter is what's gonna fry up to give it that crispy shell.
07:20I think I would eat anything coated in a buffalo situation.
07:24I'll set this aside and make the batter.
07:28Half a cup of all-purpose flour.
07:30Half a cup of cornstarch, which contributes a nice airy crispiness to the batter.
07:35Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt.
07:36And then two teaspoons each of garlic and onion powder.
07:39Pretty simple, but super flavorful.
07:43I'll grab a beer.
07:44We'll whisk the dry ingredients together and then drizzle in a cup.
07:47And, of course, the beer will add great depth of flavor.
07:51And the bubbles kind of help the batter become airy.
07:54This is almost like a tempura batter.
07:57Then you get a little beer left over at the bottom of the bottle.
08:03My liquid courage.
08:05That's it for the batter.
08:06I'll just toss them the cauliflower and evenly coat.
08:08Cauliflower is such an awesome canvas for any sort of bold flavors.
08:12Like, I love making shawarma cauliflower.
08:14I add cauliflower to smoothies because you can't taste it, but you're still getting veggies.
08:19And so it really is a perfect canvas for buffalo sauce.
08:23I'm ready to fry.
08:25I've got a couple of inches of neutral oil heating up to 350 degrees in my big pot here.
08:30And then I'll use a slotted spoon to gently lower some of the florets into the oil.
08:35I'll fry these florets in batches now for five to six minutes until they're golden all over.
08:40I really want to pay attention to the temperature of the oil here.
08:45If the temperature drops and it's not hot enough,
08:48the oil will actually soak into the florets and make them taste greasy.
08:52And if it's too hot, the outside coating will cook before the inside the cauliflower gets softened.
08:58And so the texture just won't be right.
09:00It'll be too tough in the center.
09:03I love the way the batter falls around the florets.
09:06These are done frying. I'll transfer them to a wire rack.
09:10I'll fry up the rest and then I'll make my hot honey buffalo sauce.
09:15This sauce is rich and spicy and it has some nice honey bear sweetness too.
09:19I'm starting with a required ingredient of any buffalo sauce, butter.
09:25Six tablespoons of it.
09:26I'll let this melt.
09:28What's great about buffalo sauce is that you have the fatty richness of the butter
09:32and then it gets cut by the sour acidity of tons of hot sauce.
09:37It's a nice balance.
09:39Now that the butter is hot, I'll sizzle in some garlic.
09:42Grating it with my fine zester.
09:44It helps to incorporate nicely.
09:47Add a little pinch of crushed red pepper.
09:49A little bit of paprika for smokiness.
09:52Some salt.
09:54Just let this sizzle.
09:55It's already becoming fragrant.
09:57Oh, it smells so good.
09:58A splash of vinegar adds that great brightness that you have in a buffalo wing.
10:03A little bit of Worcestershire sauce for some dark depth.
10:06A third of a cup of honey.
10:07This isn't typical buffalo sauce.
10:10It's just my own little spin.
10:11It'll balance out the spiciness and then also make the sauce even glossier.
10:16And then half a cup of buffalo hot sauce.
10:19And I'm using one that's not overly spicy.
10:21I'll give it a little whisk.
10:22I'll bring this to a gentle boil, reduce to low, and just simmer this for about five minutes until it's thickened.
10:30So my one sister-in-law, Anna, she recently married a guy from Buffalo.
10:36We went to the wedding.
10:36It was so much fun.
10:37I made the wedding cakes.
10:38So I feel like she'll really appreciate these.
10:41Now I'm just waiting for my other sister-in-law, Kelsey, to get married so that I can make more wedding cakes.
10:46This has thickened.
10:47It's kind of syrupy.
10:48We'll remove it from heat.
10:50I've got my fried cauliflower.
10:52I'll drizzle on the sauce.
10:54Oh, baby.
10:57It's getting real.
11:00Toss, toss, toss.
11:02All right, let me get a serving bowl.
11:05Also, gotta have blue cheese.
11:13They're pretty colors.
11:15Well, I've got enough for me.
11:17I don't know what the other girls are gonna do.
11:19Blue cheese.
11:22Do not pass.
11:23Go.
11:31That cauliflower is soft on the inside, and that coating just has it all.
11:36I'm loving the sweet with the spiciness.
11:40Chicken who?
11:40We have to do the food.
11:41We have to do too.
11:43Next, the strategy to making the crispiest, most perfect fried fish sandwiches you've ever tasted.
11:49Spoiler alert.
11:50Cheese is also involved.
11:52Eat!
11:52For game day, Maine, that is sure to fill us with energy and excitement, I'm making my Filet Ope Fish Sandwiches.
12:08They're flaky, crunchy fried cod topped with melty American cheese and tangy, ketchup-y tartar sauce.
12:15I just fry up my cod and stack up those sammies.
12:18To start, I've got four pieces of cod that are half-inch thick, and they're cut the size of the buns.
12:24It's a flaky, mild fish, and it's sturdy enough to hold up to a thick coating of breading, which is a must-have for a good fried fish sandwich.
12:34To build my dredge, I have a couple of eggs here, and then I'm gonna add a quarter cup of cornstarch,
12:39which helps this batter stick on to the fish, and it also thickens the batter, so you get more of a shell coating.
12:47I'll season this with two teaspoons of kosher salt, two teaspoons each of garlic and onion powder.
12:52This coating is where all the flavor lives.
12:55And then a teaspoon of paprika for that smokiness and a little color.
13:01This is my super heartier, fatty version of the classic fast food fish sandwich.
13:07This batter will fry up thick and crunchy.
13:10You get the best of both worlds. You get the batter here, but then I'm also gonna be dunking it in the breadcrumbs,
13:15so you don't have to choose if you want a batter fried or a breadcrumb fried sandwich.
13:20And now I'll take my fish through.
13:22Get it fully coated in the batter, and then get it fully coated in the breadcrumbs.
13:27I'll press the breadcrumbs so that they stick.
13:30I like to use panko breadcrumbs for this because they're bigger than traditional breadcrumbs, and so they're crunchier.
13:37You just really want to take the time to give a full, even coating of the dredge so that you can get a full crispy shell.
13:46All right, I'll put up the rest.
13:49So I'm calling this my filet ope fish, and ope is a sound that a lot of Midwesterners make.
13:56Like, if you're passing someone trying to get to your movie theater seat, and you're sneaking by,
14:02and you kind of have to, like, squeeze and do one of these, you might say ope.
14:06It's sort of like a, oh, sorry, partway between a sound and an actual word.
14:12So, like, if this fish could talk to this fish, and I needed to find a space for it right here next to it,
14:19it might say ope.
14:21My fish are fully coated. I'm ready to fry.
14:24I've got an inch of neutral oil here heating in my pan,
14:28and I'll make sure that it's hot enough just by dropping in a breadcrumb.
14:32And if it sizzles immediately like that, I know it's hot enough.
14:36So I'll gently lower in my fish away from me so that it doesn't splatter.
14:45I'll fry these for a few minutes per side until they're golden brown all over.
14:49So the perfect fish sandwich starts with super-duper crispy fried fish,
14:55and then it's on a super soft bun, like a challah or a brioche bun,
15:00so that it doesn't fight with the fish.
15:02And it also puts the emphasis on the crispy coating, too.
15:04There's, like, a nice contrast there.
15:06Gotta have something creamy like tartar sauce, something briny, pickles,
15:10something cooling and crunchy, lettuce, and cheese.
15:13I always associate cheese with fish because at summer camp on macaroni and cheese day,
15:17we would always have fish sticks because it was a Jewish camp, and that was kosher.
15:23Oh, yeah. That's a crispy piece of fish.
15:26Look at that beautiful golden brown shell.
15:28I'll transfer these to a wire rack.
15:34Smells delightful.
15:37While they're still a little oily, I'll sprinkle with flaky salt,
15:40and then I'll grab my other toppings and then assemble.
15:44I've got all my fixings, some shredded lettuce, dill pickle chips, tartar sauce, and American cheese.
15:52I'm gonna immediately get it out of the bag and put it onto the hot fish so it can get a little melty.
15:57To hate on American cheese is un-American.
16:01I'll get my buns out.
16:04I've got potato challah buns here that I've buttered and toasted.
16:08I'll get a serving plate.
16:10It's nice to toast to soft buns so it doesn't get soggy.
16:13Now for the requisite creamy element, I've got a homemade tartar sauce.
16:18You just whisk together mayo for creaminess, ketchup for tang and sweetness,
16:22some chopped pickles, dill and parsley, Worcestershire for a savory kick,
16:27lemon juice, and onion powder to keep it classic, a little S&P, and that's it.
16:35If you didn't want to make your own homemade, you could use Thousand Island.
16:38You've got to go all the way to the end because how sad would that be to have your first bite
16:42of fish sandwich and not get any sauce?
16:45You've got to have it in every bite.
16:47Next, a pile of shredded lettuce.
16:49That's that great cooling crunch.
16:51That's a counterpoint to the hot fried fish.
16:55The fish nestles so nicely onto these buns.
17:02Dill pickles.
17:03You've got to have that great brininess.
17:06Okay.
17:07And then lastly, the tops of the buns, which I'll also spread with tartar sauce.
17:11I'm so much more excited for these than I am about that freaking sports game.
17:15Now here we go.
17:16A little smash.
17:18Pick it up.
17:19You've got to have a squeeze of lemon juice with fried fish.
17:22Oh yeah.
17:23She's a beaut.
17:27Mmm.
17:30That is bonkers.
17:32That crust on the fish is so crunchy, and the sauce is straight out of my fast food dreams.
17:39These slap.
17:43Still to come, sweet and savory unite to form the most refreshing salad you've ever had.
17:49The sister-in-laws are here and they're playing a warm-up game.
18:03I just need to whip up a quick side before the official game can begin.
18:07I am making watermelon feta tomato salad, which is super colorful and refreshing.
18:13It's filled with plump, juicy fruit and salty cheese.
18:17It is the ideal game day snack.
18:20I'll start with my dressing.
18:21This is super duper simple.
18:23A couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
18:27Some finely chopped shallots.
18:29I like that the salad toes the line between sweet and savory.
18:32Kosher salt.
18:35Some Calabrian chili paste for a touch of heat.
18:38It just brightens everything up.
18:40I'll give this a quick whisk.
18:43I'll toss in my two pounds of perfectly uniformly sized dices of watermelon.
18:49It is so ripe and juicy.
18:51Some halved cherry tomatoes are a nice unexpected pairing.
18:55I love their acidity with the sweetness of watermelon.
18:57And then I'll chop up some basil and mint.
18:59And this little pop of freshness goes a long way.
19:03I'll add most of it now and then save some for the top.
19:06I'll toss this all together.
19:09Look at these vibrant colors.
19:11Anna and Anna and Kelsey, they get very competitive.
19:14They're very good at long games.
19:16And I am so extremely not into long games.
19:19But I wanted an excuse to make them a great big feast.
19:22So I figured I would bribe them to come to the farm with a day of games.
19:28Okay, that watermelon is glistening as if it's been playing in the sun all day.
19:32Let me get a serving bowl and then toss in my fruits.
19:36I'll sprinkle with a good handful of feta.
19:38Feta is salty and creamy.
19:40I'll drizzle on some balsamic glaze, which is a syrupy, super reduced balsamic vinegar.
19:47I think it's really sweet that way.
19:49And then my remaining herbs.
19:51And some flaky salt and black pepper.
19:53That is so pretty.
19:55Ready to see me get crushed in a lawn game?
19:58All right, dig it.
20:14Oh my gosh, this literally looks so good.
20:16Anything with buffalo.
20:18Who's winning round net currently?
20:19Kelsey is teaching us all her moves.
20:21We're waiting for you for the real game though.
20:23Cheers.
20:24Cheers to harvest.
20:27This glorified rice is so...
20:31That was not intentional.
20:33It comes right out.
20:36Okay, it's just everything.
20:38It's so good.
20:38I was voted most improved player of my seventh grade volleyball team.
20:42Wait, really?
20:42Oh, nice.
20:43Yeah.
20:43Okay, are you fueled up?
20:45Yes, let's go.
20:46Ready.
20:46Okay.
20:48Molly.
20:48Nice.
20:49Nice.
20:49Oh, Anna.
20:50Oh, Anna.
20:52All right, here we go, Molly.