Back to basics 1 - cheese soufflé and vinaigrette

Okay, so I'm going to start a series of posts dedicated to simple and classic food, done well.  Each week I cook food of varying degrees of difficulty from all over the world, but there still remain a few gaping holes in my repetoire that all budding amateur cooks need to master.  These are timeless dishes that I've always wanted to know how to make.  They're not always difficult, and often use the simplest of ingredients, which is another reason I'm cooking them- my cupboards are almost always empty, save the staples.

You know the kind of thing I mean. Classics - beef bourguignon, moussaka, steak and chips, a traditional roast dinner. Beyond this are a whole whack of other components and techniques that go into making a dish - puff pastry for a steak and ale pie, meringues for your baked alaska, custard for creme brûlée.  I suppose they're the kind of thing fellow foodies ask if you've made before and you always answer 'of course, all the time!' for fear of looking stupid.  Each time I perfect one of these dishes or master a skill, I feel like I've ticked another box and am one step closer to being a good cook.  Before me lines up another list of tasks to tick off the list, always slightly more difficult than the last - beef wellington, lobster bisque, meat glaze, millefeuille, pannacotta....

First up to the plate was cheese soufflé with a green salad and vinaigrette. Appalling, I know, but I have never made a soufflé before or for that matter a vinaigrette. What can I say? In China I was too busy cooking Chinese food, in uni I was too busy experimenting and in France I spent more time in the patisserie than anything else (plus I was going through this crazy Japanese cooking phase).

I think people shy away from dishes like soufflé because of an over-dramatised fear of it collapsing, which is the culinary equivalent of having 'failure' in giant letters stamped on your face. But it really wasn't that difficult, and I don't think it should be reserved for special occasions, fancy restaurants and trips back to the 80s.  Stick to the recipe as it largely relies on precision and timing, which is not usually my bag.  I stayed safe with Delia for this one (I'm not a big fan but she knows the staples), and it worked wonderfully.  Cheesy, light and fluffy, it went brilliantly with the salad and sharp vinaigrette (note: why have I never made vinaigrette before?! I think I have to put this down to always intending on doing it, then realising I have to chop more stuff when I'm already too hungry, so just dash oil and vinegar on my lettuce - oops).  Did it rise? Well, ish.  I'll let you judge for yourself...