[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]