'Molly on the Range': Food blogger lives her dream on N.D. farm

In 2008, Molly Yeh was living out her lifelong dream: studying at the Juilliard School and playing percussion all over Manhattan.

As she traveled to the far-reaching corners of the city for musical purposes, she began to discover little surprises along the way. An obscure ramen shop. A tiny Mexican torta stand in the back of a convenience store. And when she moved off campus a year later, she realized the allure — and the economy — of riffing on some of those inspirations in her own kitchen.

With each completed loaf of challah, every perfectly formed dumpling, Yeh's dream began to change.

Now, she said, she's living out her new dream — miles away from New York City and a world away from her old orchestra-laden life — on a farm outside Grand Forks, N.D., as full-time baker, blogger and now author. She just published her first cookbook, "Molly on the Range" (Rodale, 283 pages, $32.50).

Yeh's cooking reflects her heritage — she is Chinese and Jewish — experimenting with both cuisines and often blending the two together in surprising and compelling ways.

Find the evidence in her scallion pancake challah, a savory braided loaf bursting with flecks of onion and baked with sesame seeds on top.

"It's been such a rewarding process for me," said Yeh, 27, who will be in Edina at the Cooks of Crocus Hill for a book signing (at noon) and a cooking class (1 p.m.) on Saturday. "All of this just feels so natural."

So how did a self-proclaimed "band nerd" who grew up in the Chicago area land on a farm outside Grand Forks? That's a tale of romance partly outlined in her stream-of-consciousness musings in the book and on her blog, mynameisyeh.com.

Yeh met her husband, Nick Hagen — she calls him Eggboy on her blog — at Juilliard and started dating him a couple of months afterward, as her culinary impulses were simultaneously tugging at her heartstrings. Soon, the pair became what Yeh calls "severe homebodies" with Hagen playing his trombone and Yeh working on her blog.

Deciding that Manhattan rent was too steep for that kind of lifestyle, they took a visit to Hagen's now fifth-generation family farm.

"I was like, 'Yes,' " she said of her first impression of the sugar beet and wheat farmstead. "I told him, 'I'm moving here whether you're with me or not, Nick.' "

After working at the town bakery for a few months, Yeh realized her blog had become successful enough for her to work exclusively for herself, spending her time creating and testing recipes, writing and tending to a small coop of chickens the couple keep to help generate the large supply of eggs the job demands.

"That was a really fun realization to make," Yeh said. "That I could stay inside in my pajamas all day and cook, and make money with that."

Yeh's dishes often involve baking, of the traditional (doughnuts, dumplings, hand pies) and the untraditional (chickpea flour matzo balls, bacon and egg pan-fried dumplings). Fresh produce plays a starring role, and, while present in many recipes, meat remains understated.

The cookbook is accented with beautifully styled photos of many recipes, including elaborately decorated cakes and images of Yeh around the farm in her new life.

"To be able to spend time in my kitchen, baking a loaf of challah or cupcakes, that's so relaxing to me," she said. "I just love it so much."

Amelia Rayno • 612-673-4115