Hi Claudie, have you considered hiring a recording studio yourself? Prices vary but look towards £20 / hour, £160 / day for a good studio with sound man. At the end of the session you'll have the DAT or master CD which can be copied anywhere, but the studio which did the recording should give you a good deal. Artwork of course is extra.
As for how many tracks to record that's depends on you. How much money you got and how many takes for each track before you're happy? You don't have to do it all in one sitting.
Enjoy the experience.
M