Magnum Opus

My mother-in-law came to town Christmas Eve, armed with a shopping list organized into sections for meat, produce, etc, so that shopping would be more streamlined. We hit Whole Foods around 5pm that day, and they were already out of so many things. Thanks to her organization and planning, we were out of there relatively quickly.

The Christmas Menu:

Pea Soup with Avocado and Lump Crabmeat
J. Schram 2000, Schramsberg Cellars

Beef Wellington
Orange Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Opus One 2003, Opus One Winery

Chocolate Mousse Tart with Strawberry Macedone

We cooked for close to 4 hours on Christmas Day. We'd never made a Beef Wellington, and we learned a lot along the way. We worked hard for that meal, but it was all worth it. We had a meal truly worthy of the carefully chosen and exquisite alcoholic accompaniments.

(I'm really worried that I'm spoiling myself. After J. Schram and Opus One, can one really go back to drinking Yellowtail?)