Spoonfuls of Homemade Goodness

Doolittle Distributing, the spacious, all-Viking kitchen showroom in Lenexa, allowed guests to stretch out, take notes and savor every bite — over candlelight — at our latest Cooking School.

Paired with a sparkling wine, baskets of homemade caramel popcorn with pecans decorated each tabletop. Guests grabbed their wine glasses and a handful of popcorn while mingling and touring the showroom before the presentation began.

Webster House’s Executive Chef Charles d’Ablaing doesn’t use recipes, so throughout the night, attendees approached him with questions, getting a closer look (and maybe a taste) of his culinary masterpieces and taking notes to try at home. He did, however, enjoy working on Doolittle’s main island with a Viking wok, griddle and induction cook top, along with stainless steel Vita Craft cookware, one piece of which was raffled off later in the evening for a special guest to take home.

After the popcorn was devoured and the bubbly gone, we dined on black bean soup with crisp polenta salad and drank Pacifico, a Mexican beer — a tasty pairing by Off the Vine Design & Cellar. Eagerly awaiting the next course, the chef presented seared Chilean sea bass (that basically melted in your mouth) with parmesan-roasted grits, gold tomato purée and poached sea beans, which are salty sprigs likened to asparagus. The last course was the tender, juicy sweet onion braised beef short ribs with caramelized porcini mushrooms and rosemary-steamed Russian fingerlings and a side of Two Barrel lush merlot.

The figurative icing on the cake was revealed when Webster House’s culinary staff brought out a variety of fresh-made cookies. (Even though each dish offered a relatively big portion, many of us found room for one or two cookies, or stuck one in a pocket as a tasty treat later). A spot of coffee washed down the sweet mouthfuls, all of which were a little taste of heaven. Guests’ rave reviews let us know it was a job, ahem, menu well done.

The Evening’s Menu:
•  Homemade caramel popcorn
•  Black bean soup with crisp polenta salad
•  Seared Chilean sea bass, parmesan-roasted grits, gold tomato purée and poached sea beans
•  Sweet onion braised beef short ribs, caramelized porcini mushrooms and rosemary-steamed Russian fingerlings
•  Assortment of homemade cookies

Wine Pairings:
•  Caramel popcorn — Cristalino Brut Cava, Spain
•  Black bean soup — Cerveza Pacifico Clara, Mazatlan
•  Sea bass — 2007 Hayman and Hill Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
•  Beef short ribs — 2005 Alexander Valley Vintners Two Barrel, Alexander Valley