[Molly] As an homage to the history of my new restaurant,
I am whipping up some new classics.
Can it be opening day yet?
Like my crispy, glossy roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes.
What a winner of a chicken dinner.
A relish plate featuring pink pickled beet eggs.
Oh, look at that pink color.
A smoky whitefish dip.
That is peaked with smokiness.
And my big, bright lemon, poppy seed cake to celebrate.
It is so moist.
Welcome to Bernie's.
[Molly] 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.
Nick and I are opening a restaurant
right here in East Grand Forks.
It's going in a historical space
that used to house this local gem called Whitey's.
Whitey's was opened for almost a hundred years.
It seems like everybody in this town
has stories about going to Whitey's.
And now we are honoring the old and bringing in the new
with an eatery called Bernie's.
So today, I am sharing recipes
inspired by the original location.
For our celebratory dessert,
I'm baking up my lemon, poppy seed cake,
filled with raspberry jam
and covered with vanilla buttercream.
It is super soft and sweet and moist.
I love it because of how versatile and easy it is to make.
It all comes together in one bowl.
I'll start by combining two-and-a-half cups of sugar
with one-and-a-half cups of neutral oil.
I love an oil-based cake.
They stay moist for a while,
and there are so many other flavors in here
that neutral oil works perfectly fine.
I'll whisk this together to combine.
I've baked this cake as loaf cakes, as muffins.
Today, I'm doing a big celebratory layer cake.
And it was actually
one of the flavors that I baked
for Nick's sister, Anna, and her husband, Jason,
when they got married at Whitey's.
I'll add four eggs, one at a time.
So I'm whisking this well to ensure
that the egg are fully incorporated
and that the batter is coming together smoothly.
If you don't whisk it well enough,
the cake in the end could taste a bit oily.
'Cause what you're doing right now
is holding together the oil
and the eggs and the sugars that it's emulsified.
It's kind of an arm workout. [chuckles softly]
The power whisk.
[exhales sharply]
I'll zest in two lemons,
and then also squeeze in half a cup of juice.
I'm just skimming off the top layer,
being careful not to go down to the lighter-colored pith
because that tastes a little bitter.
You don't want that in there.
I'll juice in these two lemons now.
I'll pop in one-and-a-half cups
of whole milk Greek yogurt for that great richness.
The tang of yogurt with lemon is great together.
Also makes it healthy.
[chuckles softly]
You saw how much sugar I added to this. [chuckles]
A quarter cup of poppy seeds.
They're just here for the looks and slight bit of crunch.
I used to love getting lemon poppy seed muffins
from the grocery store with my mom when I was little.
Two teaspoons of almond extract
and then one cup of almond flour
for that dense, moist texture.
Okay, I'll whisk these to combine.
So whenever I make a one-bowl cake,
I do it in stages.
First, you wanna do the fat and the sugar,
then add the eggs so that gets fully emulsified.
And since the flower isn't in here yet,
you don't have to worry about overmixing the batter
and developing that gluten.
Next, I'll add three cups of all-purpose flour,
half a teaspoon of baking soda,
which will react with the acidity in the lemon
to help the cake puff up while it bakes.
Two teaspoons of baking powder
and one-and-a-half teaspoons of kosher salt.
I'll bring the batter together and whisk until it's just combined.
So the menu at Bernie's will be inspired by Midwest flavors.
Lots of hotdish and cookie salad.
And then one of the features of the menu
that I am particularly excited about
is having a Cake of the Day.
And this will be one of the cakes on rotation.
What is the point of opening up a restaurant
if you can't just fuel your crazy, obsessive cake-baking habit?
'Cause then I will have a legit reason to feed people cake.
I won't have to force it upon Nick every day.
Okay. Let me get my cake pans.
I'll bake this up into three eight-inch layers.
This will be a very big cake.
But you can also do six-inch layers.
Or you can halve it and do a couple of shorter eight-inch layers.
I'll divide this up evenly.
I'll stick these in the oven
at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes
until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
And then I'll get going on my buttercream.
My cakes are cooled and I've got my frosting here.
It's just a classic American buttercream
that I added a bit of almond extract to
to amp up the almond that's in the cake.
And now I'll get my spatula.
I'll glue the first layer down with a schmear of frosting.
And then center this on a circle.
Now just saw it off gently with a serrated knife.
Yay.
Gotta do this.
Mmm.
It is so moist.
I'll spread this with a pretty thin layer all the way through the edge.
And next, I'll do a layer of raspberry jam,
but before I do that, I wanna create a barrier to hold in the raspberry jam
so it doesn't smoosh out the sides.
I don't wanna see it from the outside of the cake.
So to do that, I have a piping bag
filled with some of my buttercream here.
I'll just pipe the border all the way around the edge to create, like, the dam.
I'll get my jam.
I'm using raspberry because I love the flavor with lemon,
and also it looks really pretty.
This is a seedless jam but seeded is fine, too.
I'll spread it all the way to the border that I just piped.
Now it won't go anywhere. It's locked in.
And now I keep on stacking and then decorate.
Welcome to Bernie's.
[Molly] Coming up, the most succulent main course on my new restaurant's menu,
it'll make your mouth water for sure.
In planning the menu for our new restaurant Bernie's,
we put together dishes that were timeless and cozy and reflective of our region.
And tell me something that's more timeless
than roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes.
Super glossy, crispy skin, juicy salty meat.
Really buttery mashed potatoes and sweet roasted carrots.
I'm starting with four chicken quarters.
So both the leg and the thigh, bone and skin on.
Get the best chicken you can find.
Because this is such a simple dish,
this is really all about making chicken the best it can be.
And I'm only seasoning with kosher salt and black pepper.
Hold your fingers up high so that it rains down evenly.
And then also a generous amount
of freshly cracked black pepper.
Before I get this onto my baking sheet,
I'm gonna set up little stages for the chickens.
So I've got four lemon slices and four leeks.
And I'll use these to prop up the chicken so that as it roasts,
heat can get underneath the chicken and make it crispy.
It doesn't get soggy.
And then also, of course, the lemon and the leek
will infuse the chicken with flavor
And my pan is lying with some foil
because, eventually, I will wanna catch all of the chicken juices
and use those for a jus at the end.
And then I'll prop the chicken on to their bed of lemon and leeks.
All right. Let me wash my hands.
I'll stick these in the oven now
at 450 degrees for 25 minutes
while I make a garlic butter to brush on.
I'll start by peeling and smashing two large cloves of garlic.
I don't have to worry about chopping them up
since I'm just using the garlic to infuse the butter.
I'm just using the blunt end of my knife to smash it and peel it.
I'll melt half a stick of butter, toss in the garlic,
and just allow this to sizzle for a few minutes
so that the butter can take on that garlic flavor.
I remember going to Whitey's.
It must've been the first week that I moved to town.
And I immediately noticed
all of the local specialties on their menu,
like walleye and lots of meat and potatoes.
And I also immediately picked up on how special it was.
I am smelling this garlic.
I'm gonna get the chicken out of the oven.
The chicken isn't fully cooked yet,
but it's already starting to smell good
and the skin is already looking crisp.
I'll brush the chicken all over with the garlic butter.
I don't wanna do this at the beginning
because I don't want the butter to burn.
And also, I want to allow the chicken skin
to get crispy before adding butter.
Okay. Now with all of the juices
and the butter that's fallen down onto the pan,
I'll use those to toss my carrots in.
I've got four carrots here,
and I think they look cute with the stems still on them.
And they're peeled.
And I'll just roll them around in the chicken juices
and the excess butter that's fallen to the pan.
And this is perfect timing now.
I'll get the chicken and the carrots back into the oven,
and the carrots will be perfectly cooked.
If I had put them on before, they would've gotten overcooked and mushy.
This will go back into the oven now at 375 for about 20 minutes
until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through and the carrots are tender.
Now I'll get going on the mashed potatoes.
You've got to have a creamy, buttery bed for this chicken.
I have already boiled my potatoes.
This is two pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes.
Yukon Gold are the butteriest, creamiest potatoes,
and I've riced them so they're fluffy.
And now I'll pour in a bunch of dairy [chuckles]
to make them creamy and delicious.
I'll add a quarter cup of whole milk.
One cup of heavy cream.
And six tablespoons of unsalted butter.
And then I'll season with some kosher salt.
I'll start with three-quarters of a teaspoon
and then add more as I go, in case it needs it.
Then instead of black pepper, I'm using white pepper
so that the potatoes stay pure and white.
I'll stir this around just to allow the butter to melt
and everything to get heated through.
You don't want to overmix potatoes and make them gummy.
Okay, let me make sure there's enough salt in these.
Mmm. Mmm.
They're perfect. Potatoes are done.
I think I'm smelling the chicken.
Hello.
I can practically see my reflection in this glassy chicken.
Mmm. [exhales] Smells heavenly.
My last step for this dish is I'm gonna make a jus
to have a saucy element on the bottom of the plate.
It'll add more flavor and richness.
So I'll spoon off the juices that have accumulated at the bottom of the pan.
Spoon it into a saucepan.
There's so much flavor here and that butter that has accumulated
and that schmaltz.
And it just all comes together for one of the more perfect bites of food in this world.
Okay.
Since there is a lot of fat in these drippings,
I'll cut it with some chicken stock.
These drippings are gonna have the lemon and leek flavor too.
Sort of swirl this around.
It'll allow the chicken stock to mingle with the juices.
The chicken stock kind of dilutes the juices since they're so fatty.
Didn't think there were gonna be so many sexy jus in this kitchen today, did ya?
Okay, I'll plate this up before I embarrass myself anymore.
I'll start with the potatoes.
Not too much, not too little.
Add some jus.
Wanna do it on the bottom so it doesn't make the chicken skin soggy.
Nestle this chicken right in.
Some carrots.
Okay, I'm definitely gonna eat this leek too.
And I'll finish with some flaky salt.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
I don't wanna mess with it but I also don't wanna not taste it.
I want a little bit of everything in my bite.
Mmm.
All of those flavors play so nicely together.
This is what I wanna eat everyday of my life.
What a winner of a chicken dinner.
[cheery music playing]
[Molly] Next I'm resurrecting a version of an old classic to the Bernie's menu.
[lively music playing]
[Molly] Nick and I recently took over a beautiful,
historical space in town to open up a restaurant,
Bernie's.
And one of the appetizers on our menu will pay homage
to the former restaurant in the space, Whitey's
and the appetizer is a relish tray.
It's a veggie tray except everything is pickled.
Ours will feature pink beet pickled eggs
and it will be plated up with some different pickled things
as well as some great sourdough toast,
really good ham and house-made butter.
I'll make my pickled eggs and I'll start with a can of beets
that have been cooked and peeled and I'll use this in the brine.
Wow, today was not the day to wear a white shirt. [chuckles]
I'll pour this into my blender.
[nervously] Carefully, carefully.
[crowd cheering]
And then puree these.
So this will be the base for the pickle brine.
[lively music playing]
-Neat. -[whirring stops]
Now press this mixture through a sieve to get rid of the solids.
I'll just use the liquid.
So the beat pickled eggs were not on the original relish tray at Whitey's,
but I love them and they're a loose nod
to all the beet farmers of this region.
So it is so convenient that you can buy beets
that are already cooked and peeled,
but if you're doing that from scratch,
I always like to handle beets using gloves so that my hands don't get dyed pink.
So just press the juices through the sieve.
Gotta do this carefully and not splatter on my shirt. [chuckles softly]
Right.
And then I'll combine this with half a cup of red wine vinegar
for that important pickle-y acidity.
Half a cup of sugar.
A little bit of nutmeg.
That warmth is so nice with the beets.
Add some kosher salt...
and a quarter cup of water.
So I'll whisk this together and heat it up
just to allow the sugar to dissolve and that's my brine.
So a relish tray is a staple of old-school supper clubs
and it's confusing because it doesn't necessarily have to have relish on it.
It essentially just has to have some pickle-y things.
So, typically, it would be a sectioned plate with pickles, olives,
maybe some pickled okra or other pickled veggies,
and if you talked to anybody who went to Whitey's when it was open,
one of the first things they mention is the Whitey's relish tray.
So of course we had to resurrect the relish tray for Bernie's,
but we're putting our own spin on it.
We're adding these beet-pickled eggs.
We're adding some radishes
and instead of the chicken liver pate,
we're doing some really awesome ham.
That's good.
I've got my eggs here. These have been boiled for 7 minutes
which will yield the perfect, soft but not too runny yolk.
And I've peeled them.
I'll pour my brine right over.
These are gonna be so pretty.
So I'll cool this to room temperature
and then stick it in the refrigerator for about six to eight hours
or you can also go overnight or even for multiple nights
and then they'll take on that awesome, pink color and pickle-y flavor.
[lively music playing]
My eggs have pickled. I've got my other little noshes here.
Slice these up.
I'm gonna use a fork...
so my fingers don't get dyed.
Oh, look at that pink color.
Hold on, wait for it.
I'll slice it in half.
Oh, yeah, look at that perfect yolk and the pink ombre.
I mean...
It advertises itself.
Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
I really think there's only room for three halves here
which is a shame 'cause I guess I have to eat this other half.
[chuckles]
Mmm.
Mmm. Mmm.
A really good, perfectly boiled egg
with a little bit of that beet flavor
and the sweetness from the brine.
I mean...
Don't you wanna come eat at Bernie's?
[popping]
-[grinding] -[crunch]
[Molly] Still to come.
The big dip you've been waiting for.
I can't wait.
[country music playing]
Really good appetizers are a sign
of a really good restaurant,
so I am whipping up a wonderful whitefish dip.
Which is smoky and creamy, and herby and bright.
And it also showcases the amazing whitefish of our region.
I'm just chucking everything into a food processor
starting with some capers for brininess.
These are little bursts of flavor that go so well with lake fish.
I'll coarsely chop a shallot.
This is sort of a loose nod to Jewish appetizing.
There will obviously be a few nods to Jewish cuisine at this restaurant.
Things will get everything-bagel seasoned.
There will be a babka.
And of course, this whitefish dip.
It's just like something that you would get on a bagel.
I'll chop up some celery
and I don't have to be too exact with chopping this up.
since it'll get pulsed in the food processor.
Add some dill and chives.
I love how bright this dip is.
Then a couple of good pinches of salt
and black pepper.
I'll pulse this a few times just to break everything up into small pieces.
That's good. I like it on the chunkier side.
I'll bring this together with some mayonnaise.
My favorite ingredient of all time.
Some sour cream.
The sour cream brightens up the mayonnaise, but keeps it creamy.
And the juice of a lemon.
You really can't go wrong when you're adding lemon and capers and dill
to a great whitefish.
I'll pulse this a few more times to combine.
And that looks great.
So that's essentially my dressing and I'll toss it in with my fish.
I've got a smoked whitefish here
This has been de-boned and now I'll just break it up into smaller pieces,
but some bigger bits are tasty too.
The lemon and the dill in this just make this fish sing.
Looks good.
I'll dump in my mayo mixture...
and toss it all together. Easy-peasy.
Um, yeah.
Smells great. I'll plate it up.
I've got some rye toasts to serve it with.
[upbeat music playing]
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Get little dill on top.
Just like that.
Better make sure it's good.
Mmm.
That is peaked with smokiness.
Can it be opening day yet?
[ringing]
-[dinging] -[crowd cheering]
[chomping]