[Molly Yeh] We're celebrating
Nick's parents' 41st wedding anniversary
with a memory-inducing meal.
-Muffin cheers! -Cheers.
I'm making them the crunchiest tofu schnitzel ever...
When life gives your lemons, squeeze them on a schnitzel.
...heartwarmingly humble bean soup
with buttery challah croutons...
That is the definition of comfort.
...my flavorful bacon roasted brussels sprouts
with warm mustard vinaigrette...
Mmm, mmm. That is great char on those brussels sprouts.
...and I'm sending them home with a basket of jumbo
blue corn blueberry muffins
stuffed with cream cheese bellies.
Is that true love I smell?
[crowd cheering]
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.
I'm putting together a dinner to celebrate
my in-laws' 41st wedding anniversary.
[crowd cheering]
Roger and Roxanne are awesome.
They live right across the street,
and I wanted to do something special
so that I could be the favorite daughter-in-law.
Only daughter-in-law.
To start, I am baking them a batch
of my jumbo blue corn blueberry muffins,
which are plump and cakey,
and they've got cream cheese bellies,
and they're an ode to the very first time
that Roger and Roxanne ever met.
So I know they'll appreciate them.
I am starting with a cup of blue cornmeal.
It's a little sweeter than yellow cornmeal,
but it functions very similarly.
So if you can't find blue corn meal,
you can use yellow corn meal.
And this ingredient is something that was developed by the Hopi.
I first had it at an indigenous restaurant in Minneapolis.
I had it in a tortilla,
and it was so delicious.
I'll combine this with one and a half cups of all-purpose flour...
...two thirds of a cup of sugar...
...a tablespoon of baking powder...
...and three-quarters of a teaspoon of kosher salt.
And I'll whisk this together.
So the story goes that Roxanne,
fresh out of college, moved to Grand Forks
to be a music teacher,
and a mutual friend invited them over
after church for blueberry muffins,
and that's when they met and fell in love.
The rest is history.
So I'm hoping that these muffins
bring back memories of the first time they met.
That's it for my dry.
For my wet ingredients, I'll get one cup of whole milk
and then crack in one whole egg.
And then I'll also add one egg yolk.
So the added egg yolk in this mixture
will increase the richness of the muffin.
And then it'll leave me some of the egg white
to help bind together the cream cheese center.
I'll get a lemon and zest in two teaspoons of lemon zest.
Lemon flavor enhances blueberry flavor so nicely.
It'll also allow the blue corn and the blueberry color to stay vibrant.
If you've ever had a blueberry muffin
that turns kind of greenish-grayish on you,
you know that it's lacking in acid.
So there's your chemistry lesson for the day.
A splash of vanilla,
I love to smell vanilla in my muffins,
and then two tablespoons of neutral oil.
I'll whisk wet ingredients
and then mix them into the dry ingredients.
And this is when that blue cornmeal comes alive
and becomes a deeper color.
I'll mix those just until the dry ingredients are hydrated.
So I don't want to see any dry bits.
And then I'll drizzle in one stick of melted butter that's cooled slightly.
I do wanna be careful not to over-mix this,
create a gummy muffin.
Okay, I'll set this aside to hydrate while I make
their cream cheese bellies.
This is basically a cheesecake filling
that'll be a sweet surprise
in the middle of these muffins.
I'll start with half a block of softened cream cheese,
and then sweeten it with two tablespoons of sugar
and a teaspoon of flour,
which will help the filling bind together
in the center of the muffin.
Flavor it with a splash of vanilla,
add a teaspoon of milk,
and then two teaspoons of the remaining egg white
will also help this mixture hold together in the center.
And I'll just mix this until it's combined.
So my assessment of muffins
is that they are fundamentally flawed,
because they're essentially just cake without the frosting.
They've gotta have bells and whistles.
So something like a cream cheese belly
or a streusel-top.
These ones are getting a sugary top.
You've gotta really try to make muffins good.
This is smooth and combined.
I'll get the blueberries now into my muffin batter.
And these are wild blueberries.
They're sweeter, and they've got a brighter color.
Mmm.
It's starting to smell like a blueberry muffin.
I've got six jumbo muffin tins lined with liners.
I'll scoop this batter into my muffin tins,
and I'll divide the batter equally amongst them.
So to get the cream cheese into the center,
I'll use two spoons,
kinda make a space in the center
and then dollop in some of the cream cheese filling.
Fill up that space,
and then I like to swirl a bit of the batter
on top of the cream cheese.
It looks pretty, and when you bite into it,
you reveal this creamy, white cream cheese center.
All right, I'll keep on filling.
These look great already,
but in the absence of a frosting or a glaze,
I do wanna add something sweet on top.
So I'll sprinkle these with two tablespoons of turbinado sugar.
I'll bake these now at 375 degrees
for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick
stuck into the non-cream cheese part
comes out clean.
And then let's feel the love.
Is that true love I smell?
Oh, no. It's just great blueberry muffins.
These look awesome.
I love seeing that cream cheese swirl on top.
Ooh, that's warm.
I'm going right for the center.
This is how I like to eat a muffin,
just break it in half.
Oh, look at that belly.
Mmm.
That's good.
The blue corn and the blueberry
work so nicely together.
One might say they make a good marriage.
Happy anniversary, Roger and Roxanne.
-[wedding march playing] -[crowd cheering]
Coming up, a hearty and comforting bean soup
topped with a delicious challah crouton.
It'll warm you right up.
For a hearty, comforting soup for my in-laws' anniversary dinner,
I am making my bean soup.
It's loaded with legumes and veggies,
and it's topped with a great cheesy toast for dunking.
I'm starting with a quarter-cup of olive oil here,
and I'll use it to cook my veggies.
I have two leeks here.
You can use onions too, but I love that delicate, springy flavor of leeks.
A couple of carrots and some chopped celery.
I'll add a pinch of salt, and stir these around
and just allow them to soften.
Those leeks are already smelling good.
So Roger and Roxanne are the healthiest people that I know.
They love to hike, they love to walk,
even when it is 30 degrees below zero
in the dead of winter, they go on multi-mile walks.
When Nick and I are married for 41 years,
if we are as active as them, I will feel satisfied.
As these continue to soften, I'll chop up some herbs.
I've got rosemary and thyme here.
I wanna avoid these really thick stems.
You don't wanna eat those.
I love these herbs with beans.
They're just so cozy, and they're hearty too.
And then for the thyme, I'll just use my fingers
to strip the leaves off of the stem.
Bean soup has got to simmer for quite a while,
so these hearty flavors will hold up nicely.
So I've got my rosemary thyme and loads of garlic.
I'll toss these in.
I'll stir this in and allow the garlic and the herbs
to become fragrant.
Ugh, yeah, the rosemary smells great.
And a bit of crushed red pepper.
I'm cooking these ingredients only for a minute or two,
just until I can smell them.
I want to be careful not to burn the garlic.
I'll get the beans.
I've got three types here,
a cup each of chickpeas,
cannellini beans, and navy beans
that I've soaked overnight,
which helps speed up the cooking process.
And I love this combination of beans
'cause you get a few different textures,
navy beans are a bit firmer than cannellini beans.
Chickpeas fall somewhere in the middle.
You get a couple different flavors,
but these are all pretty mild beans,
which I like because they'll soak up the flavor so nicely.
Now I'm ready for my stock.
I've got two quarts of low-sodium chicken stock.
Of course, you can use low-sodium veggie stock
if you wanted to keep this vegetarian.
And two quarts of water.
A few bay leaves to infuse the soup with herby-ness.
Okay, some lemon peel.
We'll infuse that great, citrusy bright flavor.
And then a parmesan rind,
which I adore with my beans.
It infuses the soup with salty umami,
it's so good, and it's just to use up a parmesan rind
'cause what the heck else are you gonna do with it?
I'll bring this to a boil and then reduce to a simmer
and allow it to cook for an hour,
until the beans are tender.
My soup has thickened, the beans are soft,
it's looking good and stewy.
Now, I feel like it's the Hagen way
to add more healthy stuff to it.
I've got two bunches of Tuscan kale
that I removed the stems from and have coarsely chopped it.
And I'll just stir this in and allow it to wilt.
I love adding greens to soup
because they cook down a lot,
so it's easy to eat a lot of greens
when they're wilted down in soup.
I'll season with a good couple pinches of salt
and some pepper.
I like seeing the flecks of black pepper.
Looks great to me, but you know what would make this even better
is cheesy challah toast to dunk in it.
Mmm, that looks perfect.
To make this, I toasted some pieces of challah...
...brushed on some butter...
...sprinkled it with gruyere and parmesan,
and stuck it under the broiler.
You gotta dip something into soup.
Here, let me plate it up, bowl it up.
If you want to get some chewy parmesan,
you can go for that rind too.
Oh, I got some. Cha-ching.
I like finishing the soup with a drizzle of olive oil
for added richness, and it's pretty.
Some flaky salt and black pepper.
And I'll balance a cheesy toast right on top.
Isn't that pretty?
I better try it to make sure that it's good for Roger and Roxanne.
I'm gonna do the old dunk and scoop.
Mmm.
That is the definition of comfort.
and that little bit of funkiness from the gruyere
completes the package.
I would marry myself for 41 years
if I made me this soup.
Next, the secret to making brussels sprouts memorable.
The first time I ever met Roger and Roxanne,
I made them brussels sprouts,
and they were the first brussels sprouts that Roger ever loved.
So today I'm making some crispy roasted sprouts,
similar to those, with dried cherries
and bacon and a tangy mustard vinaigrette.
They're salty, they're sweet, and they've got great texture.
I'm starting by crisping up my bacon.
I'm doing this first because I'll use some of the bacon fat
to help cook the brussels sprouts,
and I'm doing this in an oven safe skillet
because I'll start the sprouts on the stove top
and then finish them up in the oven.
I'll set the bacon aside
while I get my brussels sprouts crisping.
I still have a little bacon fat in my pan,
but I'll boost it up with my olive oil.
I've got my one pound of brussels sprouts here
that have been halved.
You cook them in one single layer
in a very hot skillet
so that you can get that great crisp texture,
and then you finish them in the oven
so that they can get cooked through.
The hardest part is staying patient
during this first crisping process
because it takes some time.
You don't want to disturb the magic that's happening.
I'll nestle in this last one
and then allow these to cook undisturbed
for three to four minutes over medium heat
until they develop that great, crisp brown color.
So that first meal that I made for Roger and Roxanne,
the one where Roger discovered that he liked brussels sprouts,
I made a birthday cake, I made these brussels sprouts,
I made homemade gnocchi,
and I attempted my very first roasted chicken.
And it was delicious, but it wasn't ready
until after we had eaten the cake,
so I was all flustered and felt like a failure,
but Roxanne felt like the meal was a smashing success
because she met the greatest future daughter-in-law of all time.
Just kidding.
It was because Roger liked brussels sprouts.
That's why she thought it was a success.
Yes.
That is an ideal specimen.
You see that crispy texture?
If you think you don't like brussels sprouts,
try getting this kind of color on them
and then taste them.
Your life will be changed.
I'll toss these around as I season them with salt.
A good heavy hand with salt is also gonna make these taste great.
I'll stick these in a 450-degree oven now
for 12 to 14 minutes until they're fully cooked throughout.
And while those roast, I'll make my mustard vinaigrette.
This has the kind of brightness
that a deeply roasted vegetable needs.
I'll start with two tablespoons of whole grain mustard,
mustard and brussels sprouts goes so well together,
a tablespoon each of maple syrup and sherry vinegar.
So you get some sweetness, you get some sourness,
I'll grate in a clove of garlic.
That way you get the flavor of the garlic
without too many big garlicky bits.
Salt and pepper.
And then I'll whisk this together
as I drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil
to bring the whole dressing together.
Roxanne roasts vegetables every single day
pretty much.
Every single time I'm over there,
it seems like she's just taking a pan of vegetables out of the oven.
Okay, that looks great.
Let me get my brussels sprouts out.
They look great.
While they're still warm,
I'll toss them with the vinaigrette.
It's nice and glossy.
Okay, now I'll add some texture.
So I'll get some almonds and cherries.
I love a nut with my brussels sprout.
Got some dried cherries,
gives it a nice, chewy, sweet counterpoint
to all these salty things going on.
I'll chop and add my bacon.
Bacon, brussels sprouts, and mustard,
yeah, that's a good combo.
And it's just enough bacon to add some salty smokiness,
but not so much that it's stealing the show.
I'll toss these around.
I'll finish with some fresh parsley
since this is a classy meal.
Ta-da!
For the perfect bite,
a little bit of everything.
A brussels sprout, a cherry,
some bacon, a nut.
Mmm.
Mmm, mmm. That is great char on those brussels sprouts.
This is bringing me back to Brooklyn.
Still to come, fried tofu done right,
schnitzel style.
For a hunk-a-hunk of fried goodness
that will satiate even the most carnivorous anniversary guest,
I'm looking at you, Nick,
I am making my tofu schnitzel,
which is super crispy on the outside,
soft on the inside.
And let's face it, Tofu is really just a vehicle
for crunchy, fried breading.
So to start, I'm making my breading,
which is a mixture of panko bread crumbs
and regular bread crumbs.
I like that combination of textures
because panko pieces are bigger
and regular bread crumbs are finer.
And it's flavored with parmesan cheese,
lemon zest, paprika, cayenne, a little garlic
and onion and parsley and salt.
It is so tasty because no offense, cover your ears,
tofu is so bland.
I have my extra firm tofu slices here
that I have ridden of all of the excess moisture.
I'll just take them through my dredging station.
I have some beaten egg with some corn starch,
which will give me a thicker fried breading shell,
and tofu can be kind of slippery.
So the cornstarch in the egg
helps it to glob on.
This schnitzel, it's good.
I mean, even if you're not a tofu eater...
...it's delicious.
Pair it with a sauce, you're good to go.
I'll get these nuggets completely coated
in the bread crumb mixture.
I've got a half-inch of neutral oil
heating over medium heat in my skillet here,
and I'll fry these each for about two to three minutes per side until they're golden.
That's the sizzle you need for a schnitzel.
I'll fry these for a few minutes per side,
until they're golden over medium heat.
I feel like this is the best texture journey
because you have the crispiness on the outside,
and that softer tofu texture on the inside.
I'll fry them on the other side now
for another couple of minutes.
Got some great golden crisp texture.
I think I'll have, like, two bites...
...and, like, enjoy the two bites.
These look great.
I'll get these out of my pan onto a wire rack
so that any excess oil can drip off.
And that way, they'll stay crispy.
While they're still hot, I'll season with a pinch of salt.
Awesome.
And the last thing is necessary for a schnitzel,
some lemon wedges.
When life gives you lemons, squeeze them on a schnitzel.
I'll nestle these in.
I don't think Roger and Roxanne will mind
if I take one for a test drive.
Oh, yeah.
Mmm.
That is some crispy, crunchy, junkie tofu, and I love it.
It's time to celebrate the big 41.
Happy anniversary!
[Roger] Hey, thank you.
-41. -41.
-Whoa. -[Molly] Whoa.
I just can't even believe it.
These are foods all inspired by the two of you.
[Roger] Yes.
-[Roxanne] No kidding. -[Molly] Tofu schnitzel,
- bean soup... - [Roger] I'll give you one.
-[Roxanne] Thank you. - [Molly] ...with challah toast...
[Roger] Oh, my gosh.
[Molly] ...roasted brussels sprouts,
- there's bacon in there... - [Roxanne] Okay.
...and of course, we couldn't celebrate your anniversary
without blueberry muffins.
-[Roger] Oh, my gosh. - [Roxanne] Oh, these are incredible.
The first day we met,
the two ladies that brought us together,
-they had us over for blueberry muffins. -For blueberry muffins,
and I was trying to have everyone eat
as slow as possible so the moment would last.
-[Nick] Aw. -[both laughing]
So I gotta know,
what's the secret?
[Roxanne] Love and respect.
[Roger] Listening.
[Roxanne] Yeah, listening and recognizing
that we're a team, but we're also individuals.
[Nick] Yeah.
Muffin cheers! [laughs]
-Cheers. -Cheers.
-Happy anniversary. -Happy anniversary.
[Molly] Thanks for being married
[laughing] and having Nick.