Dinner party menu ?

18 years ago

Hey, can you tell I'm entertaining? I'm monopolizing the forum with my seemingly endless questions - lol.

Anyway.

Saturday, two other families are coming over for a "Valentine" celebration - I'm always ready for "something" in February with the cold weather - it's nice to break it up.

Kids are taken care of with pizza.

For once, it appears that no one has any food issues - YEA!

Ever since I got suggestions here for "guest" meals, I have wanted to make SharonCB's individual beef wellingtons. And for this holiday, I could put little pastry hearts on top...:-)

I thought of just pairing with a simple roasted veggie.

OK, so as I was thinking of what else to have, I started thinking about Beef Wellington being a little "retro" and thought, maybe a retro themed dinner? Without getting too carried away...We could do a chocolate fondue for dessert.

So here are my questions:

~If I do the "retro" thing, what would be good appetizers? Really just snacks to eat hanging out in the kitchen before hand - this won't be a big formal thing what with 6 kids running around 9 yrs old and younger.

~I have never eaten pate except for AnnT's tuna pate. I don't think I can buy it, can I? No specialty stores near here. Would BJ's have it? Can I make it?

~Should I scrap the "retro" thing because retro and Valentine is too many themes?

~If I do, any great ideas on what to have? I have too much information at my disposal sometimes and get overwhelmed...:-)

Here is Sharon's recipe - she had a gorgeous photo of a NY Eve dinner - with the year spelled out on the top of each, in puff pastry

INDIVIDUAL BEEF WELLINGTONS This was for our New Year's Eve Dinner. - Sharon CB

For two Wellingtons:

1/3 lb mushrooms (150 grams) cleaned and chopped very finely

scant 1/4 cup minced onion or shallots

2 TBS sherry

2 TBS butter

2 TBS finely chopped parsley

2 TBS fine herb patÃ© ( or other good quality liver patÃ© )

salt and fresh ground pepper

puff pastry - fresh or frozen - 1 large or 2 small sheets

2 filet mignon

few drops oil

1 egg well beaten

1). SautÃ© first 5 ingredients with some salt & pepper in pan until all moisture is absorbed and it resembles a paste. Take off stove and blend with patÃ©, mixing well.

2). Sear filets in hot pan in oil a minute on each side to seal. Let cool a minute or two. (This is optional - leave out if you like the meat quite rare.)

3) Spread patÃ©/mushroom Duxelle mixture on topside of each filet.

4). Divide puff pastry in two and roll out until you have a round or oval shape large enough to cover top and sides of each filet. Cover each filet with pastry and tuck edges well under until nearly meeting on bottomside. Use extra pastry bits to form leaves or pastry decorative designs for top. Brush pastry with beaten egg and press designs onto top, also brushing them with egg.

5) Bake in preheated oven 375 F for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden.

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Comments (10)

lindac
18 years ago
I love the idea of a retro valentine dinner...
You can buy pate...or you can make it...not hard and not very time consuming.
Retro...?
How about asparagus with hollendaise? Green beans almondine? Parsley potatoes?
Jello salad?...Oops! Just kidding!!
I would try to make a kid friendly dessert...maybe a mountain of brownies and snickerdoodles? Or heart shaped sugar cookies.
Linda C
artsyshell
18 years ago
Stacy, I can't help you with the retro theme, but I like the idea. You can buy pate in pretty much any large grocery store or large chain store,(at least here in canada you can), also you could make it if in a pinch. Lots of recipes on the internet. Stuffed mushrooms might be a good appy to go with the beef and they are sort of retro. Here's link for some retro foods to get ideas to go with your wellington.

http://www.retrofoodrecipes.com/

Shelley
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jimster
18 years ago
Stacy,

Your retro theme idea sounds perfect for the beef wellington meal.

Pate can be found in most supermarkets in the cheese case. Interestingly Shelley, it is usually imported from Canada. I don't know why.

Shelley beat me to the punch with stuffed mushrooms (great minds, you know).

I'm not sure what would be retro (haven't looked at Shelley's link) but how about rumaki or deviled eggs garnished with caviar?
hokeypokey
18 years ago
I LOVE the retro theme -- how fun!

Retro appetizers make me think of a cheese ball, deviled eggs, cocktail weiners in bbq sauce. Maybe a veggie tray with Green Goddess dressing?
User
18 years ago
Love the retro idea Stacy.....

Stuffed mushrooms are perfect as an appetizer before dinner so are bacon wrapped water chestnuts or ...are you ready...Wendy's olive cheddar nipples! Pate is great too and should be very easy to find. We like the herbed pate or the peppered pate. Cheese ball is also perfect. Oh and don;t foregt chips and dip...using sour cream and French onion soup mix with a shot of Worcestershire's as the dip!

As a first course escargot is very retro and perfect with your entree. Then again and old fashioned shrimp cocktail would be perfect too. Hang the shrimp off a glass filled with the shrimp sauce!

French Onion soup is very retro too but may be too filling....but sooooo good with something like Wellington! Make small bowls! Bonus you get to use your brown sauce! LOL

One of the sides with Wellington would have to be twice baked potatoes. I'd do asparagus as the other.

PS: for real fun have Harvey Wallbangers or Singapore Slings for drinks before! LOL

Here is my recipe for stuffed mushrooms. Can't recall if I served them to you.

Stuffed Mushrooms

20 large white mushrooms
1/3 Cup butter (maybe a bit more)
4 or 5 green onions chopped fine
2-2 1/2 cups grated cheddar
1/3 Cup bread crumbs
salt

Clean mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Chop stems finely (I use the food processor). Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute mushroom stems and onions over medium heat until soft but not browned and the stems have given up their juices. Mixture should be quite moist. Add the bread crumbs, only enough to absorb the liquid. Add the grated cheese and stir just until it has melted. Don't worry if the oil separates from the cheese.Stuff the mixture into the caps and sprinkle with a bit of salt (or you can salt after they come out of the oven...which is what I usually do). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until the caps are nice and soft.
dixiedog_2007
18 years ago
Harvey Wallbangers - now there is something that is a blast from the past! My parents drank that all the time and I believe that drink made a comeback a couple of years ago. I remember that long, tower like bottle with that yellow liquid in my parents cabinet. Thanks for the memory.
stacy3
Original Author
18 years ago
Oh YEA!!!!!!!! You guys have such great suggestions. And now I feel better about not sleeping much last night as my mind got all jumbled up with "retro" ideas - lol.

Nope, Sharon, we didn't have the honor of having those mushrooms - but that is almost exactly how I make them! But with parm instead of cheddar. Is that overkill with the mushrooms in the wellington?

And what do y'all think of the chocolate fondue?

Linda, I like the way you think - in fact, I had already started a thread about heart shaped sugar cookies - lol.

Oh yeah french onion soup would be gooood - and wasn't there just a thread on it?

I have small soup crocks but only four of them darn. Would ramekins be too small? I have lots of those - thank you JESSICA!

Oh yeah - green goddess dressing - I think nancy has posted her recipe here and I have it saved.

And I like the deviled eggs too.

You guys are the BEST!

Stacy
User
18 years ago
The chocolate fondue is perfect Stacy. I don't think stuffed mushrooms are overkill at all with the mushrooms in the Wellington. The Duxelle mixture is totally different and not at all mushroomy.

I also think a ramekin for the soup might be just the right size, a taste, a tease but not a hindrance to the meal!
stacy3
Original Author
18 years ago
oooh thank you!!!!!!! oh, and aside from kind of laughing at your purchase - BTDT - I wish I had something worthwhile to offer for all those jars, dear...

So would you serve the little ramekins of soup before dinner?

Oh! That would give me a reason to serve some of that artisan bread which I am in love with. I was shying away as the beef was alread wrapped in pastry.

So would I do a little ramekin on a plate topped with the bread and cheese and then some bread on the side, too?
User
18 years ago
No I wouldn't serve bread and the soup but I would use your bread for the soup.

Serve before the entree, at the table, or as a casual 1st course well before dinner. Either way works.

If you do the soup it will a double Stacy whammy...your own bread and your own brown sauce. But of course doesn't everyone do that! LOL

and about those jars.....wipe the grim off your face young lady!

Dinner party menu ?

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