Dining Clubs Require Care and Planning

If your inner gourmet cries out for lobster souffle and crepe Suzettes, you can start your own cooking group. Here are some tips from veterans:

* Choose your eating companions carefully. Look for friends who not only like to eat, but also have an adventurous spirit when it comes to trying different cuisines and out-of-the-ordinary dishes. If you serve something like Julia Child’s rabbit-and-leek pie, will they gaze upon it dolefully, wishing it were Mom’s apple pie?

* Settle on a group of no more than eight. Most people can’t squeeze more folks around their dining table anyway. Setting up two tables leads to two dinner conversations, and that leads to noise and less intimacy.

* Get out your calendar several months, or even a year, in advance and settle on dinner dates. Then you won’t have to juggle date books later, trying to find an acceptable weekend for everyone.

* Plan your potlucks. If you’re the host, make sure you don’t end up with three green salads.

* Try out recipes beforehand, if possible.

* Share the cooking; it’s easier on the hosts.

* Don’t worry about spending more or less on ingredients than your partners. Veterans say it all evens out eventually.

* And if you’re the type to fret about calories, this probably isn’t for you.