The Gourmet Club

How to go Clubbing!

Love to cook, eat and socialize? Do you have friends who also like the same? A gourmet club may be the right thing for you.

I’ve always been part of a family that enjoys cooking and exploring new food. Everything had to be tried at least once and variety was prized. When I was a kid, my parents started a gourmet club with several other couples. Couples rotated hosting, established a theme for the dinner and every attending couple made various dishes to compliment the theme. As this was in the 70’s, each couple typed up several copies of their recipe and provided them. My parents had their binder of gourmet club recipes for years after the club stopped.

Last year, I started my own gourmet club. Here are the principles:

* Four couples * The club meets once a quarter * The host couple picks the theme and is responsible for the main dish, side dishes, drinks and any entertainment. Other couples rotate through appetizers, soup/salad and dessert. * Expensive or fancy is not the goal; just good food and conversation. * Recipes must be provided to all

Theme choice can be an interesting one. The obvious choices are cuisines of the world (Italian, Mexican, etc…), but should also be creative in their own right. Some ideas can be:

Fresh from the farmMade with chocolateFood on a stickComfort foodMade for under $20

The most important part of the club is to have fun!

Have you been in a gourmet club? Tell me about it.