Bread Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 12 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• whole nutmeg, for grating
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. 1

   Make small holes in the onion using a skewer and stick the cloves in them.

2. 2

   Put the onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a pan. Pour in milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover. Set aside for 1 hour.

3. 3

   To make the sauce, discard onion and bay leaf. Strain milk to remove peppercorns. Return to a clean pan and add breadcrumbs.

4. 4

   Cook over low heat 4-5 minutes until breadcrumbs have swollen and sauce is thick.

5. 5

   Beat in butter. Season well with salt and pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. Stir in cream just before serving, if you are using it.