SargentWorks » Photography

Making Donuts – 03-14-2010

Ed — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:11:45 +0000

I have always wanted to make donuts. As a child, I ate glazed donuts by the dozen and always heated them in the oven to get them soft. When I discovered Krispy Kreme as an adult traveling in Georgia (Thanks Christa!) I was hooked. My challenge today was to make Krispy Kreme donuts at home. I will not bore everyone with a step by step of what I did. However, I have some pictures of the prep process. I found out very quickly that I can not take pictures and fry the donuts at the same time without burning them.

Some lessons learned from my experience:

Making donuts is harder and takes more time than buying donuts.
I admire pastry chefs, the precision they have to use to make yummy treats is amazing!
Salt is an important ingredient for donuts.
The glaze for the donuts is very, very hot. Use chopsticks or tongs!
Proofing your donuts after you cut them, is extremely important for a light donut.

Final results:

Enjoying Pork Riblets

Ed — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:11:30 +0000

http://www.sargentworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/IMG_06231.jpg

Last night I really wanted something fairly low carb and tasty for dinner. Normally, I default to chicken wings, but today I just wanted pork riblets.

“What are riblets?” A riblet is an alternative to ribs. The actual riblet is the portion of a loin back rib (or baby back rib) that is cut off at the top (nearest the back bone) to give the rib a more uniform look. Loin back ribs don’t always have this removed. When not removed they have a rounded look to them and are often referred to as baby back ribs. Riblets used to be thrown out by butchers, but have become popular due to their excellent flavor and lower cost. (From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riblets)
Now for the preparation:

Seasonings:

Garlic Powder (1 teaspoon)
Sazon (This is a seasoning packet easily found in stores in NYC, but difficult to find in the Seattle area) (3 packets)
Kosher Salt (0.5 teaspoons plus a little more to finish the dish)

I cut up about four pounds of riblets into single rib sections. Then, I coated the ribs the seasonings and deep fried them at 355 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Note: You can use flour or cornstarch if you want a crust, but I have found that cooking the riblets a little longer is good enough for a crispy outside.
Before:

After:

Presentation:
A little lime juice squeezed over the top provides a nice balance to the pork fat in the riblets.

So if you are looking for an alternative to wings, riblets are the way to go.
Beer goes great with riblets…

A Brief Interview with the Librarians

Ed — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:36:01 +0000

I always enjoy talking with librarians!

Cool iPhone App – ReelDirector

Ed — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:01:57 +0000

For content producers and educators who want to integrate video into their curriculum, this is a must have application.
With ReelDirector from Nexvio, I was able to edit and combine video clips shot with my iPhone, add music and photos using the Ken Burns effect, and upload the video to YouTube in minutes. No computers needed!
Reality Check: ReelDirector will not replace Final Cut Pro, Avid, or even iMovie on your computer. Let’s also not forget that the iPhone’s camera is not the best in the world. So, if you are looking for broadcast quality video production, this is not the way to go.
However, if you are trying to capture those fun, family and friend moments, recording a classroom lecture for a podcast/Angel course shell, or creating a visual storyboard this is a perfect app.
The best thing about ReelDirector is the price, $7.99 from the iPhone app store.

Enjoy your day!