The humble loaf really is the ‘bread of life’ it’s so incredibly versatile.
Here is my recipe for bread sauce because let’s face it the Christmas turkey would be naked without it!
You will need.
1 small onion stuck with 3 cloves
500 ml milk
Half a day old white loaf made into breadcrumbs
Grated nutmeg
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
100ml double cream
Large knob of butter
Put the clove studded onion in a pan with the milk and heat very slowly until almost boiling. The longer this takes the better as the point is to infuse the milk with the flavour of the onion and cloves.
Remove the onion and whisk in the breadcrumbs until the sauce is thick and all the milk is taken up. Heat through and if the sauce is thin, add some more breadcrumbs and conversely if it appears too thick add a little more milk. Season with salt and pepper and a little mace or nutmeg. Stir in the cream and just before serving stir in the butter, this will make the sauce glossy and add extra flavour.Dont be shy with the cream and butter.
Of course the uses for stale bread could fill a book, here are a few that spring to mind….
• Croutons – for soup or salad
• Bread and butter pudding
• Eggy bread -Soaked in milk, eggs and sugar and then fried and served with sweet or savoury toppings
• Breadcrumbs for meatloaf/meatballs
• Breadcrumbs for all manner of savoury stuffing especially great for vegetarian dishes.