How about an endive and watercress salad with thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and a bright vinaigrette?

BTW I love your menu- anything wrapped in puff pastry is a huge hit at my house.

How long doEs the party last, and how many hours do you spend eating? In our group, we usually start with appys around 4 and continue until 11 or midnight.

I'm with Gardengal on the vegetables. You don't need a salad, but some nice, simple vegetables with all that fancy good food would be the culinary "resting place" we talk about in design. :)

What a fun tradition!

Along with a very rich beef Wellington (yum!), cheese/sour cream loaded potatoes, cheese based soup, and cheesecake for dessert, I would say your menu could use some lighter fare and lots less dairy...maybe roasted new potatoes, some kind of vegetable without a rich sauce (the already suggested steamed green beans with almonds - or asparagus) and perhaps a fruit based dessert instead of cheesecake. I would serve a fresh greens salad, because there is nothing else raw/uncooked on the menu and I think a salad goes so well with beef. The mushrooms sound like a nice addition, esp if you can stuff them without a cheese based stuffing.

Sharon, it all sounds delicious, and I'm thinking definitely sauce for the Wellington. Those who want it, want it. Anyone else can pass, but at least it's available.

I also think asparagus would be a nice side, maybe roasted. If you don't care for asparagus, some unsauced vegetable would be good, a foil for all that rich food.

Mushrooms go so well with beef, I'd definitely find a way to get the mushrooms included.

Really, though, I just wanted to say good luck and have fun!

Annie

Who's worrying about rich? It's retro....come on!
I would like the stuffed mushrooms as appys...I have a blue cheese stuffed version that was in the Chicago Trib about 30 years ago and it's still wonderful.
And maybe a crudite platter with a curry dip.
Wellington, of course...with perhaps a Bernaise? Hasselback potatoes and greenbeans almondine. Parkerhouse rolls and the cheese cake is perfect.
I hope you will serve Martinis and Manhattans and maybe pass the brandy and whipped cream for a coffee royale!
Sounds like a lovely party!

With a rich main course I would want a lighter first course. I made this last Saturday and it was very well received.

http://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.com/recette/311497-millefeuille-de-la-mer

I agree a simple vegetable. No salad unless you want to but if you do I would include one with fruit -- Ina Garton has a roasted pear salad that's out of this world but unless I'm doing a really "fancy" dinner I choose either soup OR salad and not both.

It is a great menu!

Do you make yoru cheesecake or buy it?

Thanks for the input the everyone. Yes is a fun tradition . It started off as a progressive dinner party because we lived literally next door to each other and we could walk. Now we live much further apart so is a sleepover , driving is a non option.....so I'll have to think breakfast next.

The mushrooms are intended as an appetizer not a first course, sorry for being unclear. Annie, the Wellington has Cremini mushroom duxelles so don't want it as a side . I know the stuffed mushrooms are a double mushroom hit but that will be hours earlier.

The soup hasn't very much blue cheese and I don't use cheese in my twice baked but agree Olchick, maybe too much dairy so well go with Lindac and the Hasselbacks.

Not crazy about asparagus might do peas and pearl onions as the side

Martha, like the idea of that pear salad....will check it out. The cheecake is my own been making the same one for 30 years.......5 8 OZ packages of cream cheese. It's hubby's favourite

So here is where I think I am right now

Escargot stuffed mushrooms served in the late afternoon as a appy. Need another retro idea . Put on your thinking caps

Stilton and leek soup

Roasted pear salad..........but maybe mandarin or something with lemon. Trying to think light and refreshing

Wellington with peas and onions , hasselbacks and a sauce for sure. Still mulling the type but Madeira or some sort of red wine sauce is on the short last.

New York Style Cheesecake

Lindac, yes we will be offering Martnins and Manhattans as well as port after.....no cigars !!!!

That sounds delicious and like a much more balanced menu, not so heavy on the cream and dairy!

Yes to peas and onions, if there's no sauce on them. You know your friends and what they want to eat. If I were served Wellington and Hasselback potatoes, I'd be picking through looking for less starchy fatty, and more undressed vegetables. I would only be eating a polite bite of the cheesecake, as well, after that dinner. It's a lot of butter and simple carbs--I'm not talking "diet", just what I'd want to eat. But your friends might revel in the cheese and butterfest and think the menu is sublime.

If you're looking for another rich nibble, rumaki have been very retro-in the last few years.

Oh yes...rumaki...or "faux" rumki with water chestnuts..
I live the leak and Stilton soup...but you could make a chilled vischyssoise ...or a madrilene
And perhaps meatballs...greek, Italian or swedish...served in a chafing dish, of course.....and there always shrimp. I believe that shrimp has been a feature of 90% of the cocktail gatherings I have been to in the past 50 years.

I think the Green Peppercorn Sauce here sounds great. Maybe not retro?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-beef-wellington-recipe2/index.html

Shrimp cocktail is even lean!

Classic rumaki is marinated chicken liver wrapped around half a water chestnut on a toothpick and all wrapped in bacon. Nothing "faux" about it. I'm guessing Linda meant something else I'm not picking up.

Another golden oldie from the Tiki era that's been sighted here and there is crab rangoon, which fits with your butter and cheese theme.

Faux Rumaki is just water chest nutswrapped in bacon and glazed.
I thought it was obvious from what I said....
Wasn't sure were citing the Tiki era, but if that's the way you want to go, therea re all manner of pineapple/ham/pork things on a toothpick, broiled or baked or held over a sterno burner.

Islay, that looks really, really, really good. Yum.

Sharon, I see your point about the mushrooms. As for salad, the pear salad looks really good, I love pears. Mustangs' fig/proscuitto/parmesan salad might be good too.

Retro appetizers? I love shrimp cocktail, I remember we used to have it sometimes at Easter but Mother never encouraged us kids to try it. Now I know why, she didn't want us eating up the expensive stuff, plus she didn't have to share! Or there are those cheese dough puffs with the olives in the middle...

Fruit topping on the cheesecake and you could claim it was healthy. (grin)

Annie

Thanks, Linda, for the explanation. To me, your sentence meant water chestnuts instead of something else in the middle, or added, or something. Which is why I mentioned that I thought you must have meant something I didn't get. You did!

Yeah....rumaki that isn't....

If I were served Wellington and Hasselback potatoes, I'd be picking through looking for less starchy fatty, and more undressed vegetables.

I agree with plllog, I would keep it light/less starchy. My first thought was roasted brussel sprouts, or green beans. Then I decided to search on line just for fun to see what others paired the BW with. Here's what I found.

Gordan Ramsey - Roasted carrots (several calls for carrots)

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Fresh beets, boiled or roasted with balsamic glaze

Carrot puree

Grilled fresh asparagus

Roasted parsnips

Tyler Florence - Warm wilted winter greens

Sauteed kale

Your dinner sounds yummy, wish I was coming. ;)

Shrimp cocktails of course !!!!

Think I'm going to serve peas and pearl onions as the side. ......no sauce. Might go back to twice baked......DH thinks he gets a vote. Silly boy !

Thanks again everyone !

Yes! to shrimp cocktail! As for the vegetables, put sprigs of parsley on the plates and call it the veggie. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In searching for 1950s menus, I found this cool website Food Timeline. It purports to list the foods popular in any given decade of the 20th century. Fun reading!