Bread Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 large onion (A good-sized onion; peel and quarter it)
• 12 whole black peppercorns (A dozen peppercorns)
• 6 whole whole cloves (Six whole cloves)
• 1 pinch grated nutmeg (A small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg)
• 1 salt spoonful salt (Approximately 1/4 teaspoon; a salt spoonful)
• 0.5 pint (plus extra for topping up) whole milk (Not less than half a pint of good milk; use full-fat whole milk and keep a little extra on hand to replace any that evaporates)
• 1 cup (approximately, added gradually) stale bread crumbs (Use stale white bread, processed or rubbed into fine crumbs; add gradually until the sauce reaches a thick, spoonable consistency)
• 1 spoonful (approximately 1 tablespoon) cream (A single spoonful of cream stirred in at the very end off the heat; alternatively the original text suggests the yolk whipped up may be used instead)

Instructions

1. 1Take one large onion and peel off the outer papery skin. Cut the onion into four quarters. Set aside. This quartering helps the onion release its flavour into the milk without breaking apart and becoming difficult to strain out later.
2. 2Place the quartered onion into a small saucepan. Add the 12 whole peppercorns, 6 whole cloves, a pinch of grated nutmeg, and a salt spoonful (about 1/4 teaspoon) of salt. Pour over at least half a pint (approximately 300 ml) of whole milk. Make sure you have a little extra milk set aside to top up the pan as the milk cooks down. Do not be tempted to use water — this will ruin the sauce.
3. 3Place the saucepan over a very low heat. Watch the pan closely — milk can boil up and overflow extremely quickly. You are not trying to bring it to a rolling boil; instead you want to just barely simmer. As soon as you see the surface of the milk begin to look frothy and small bubbles appear around the edges, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Do not walk away from the stove during this step.
4. 4Once you have removed the pan from the heat, let it cool for a minute or two until the froth subsides. Then return it to the very low heat again. Repeat this process — heating until frothy, removing from heat, allowing to cool briefly, then returning to heat — continuing until the onion quarters are fully softened and cooked through. This gentle, repeated heating infuses the milk with flavour without scorching it. Each time you return the pan, check whether the milk level has dropped; if it has, add a small splash of your reserved extra milk to compensate for evaporation. This process will take approximately 20 to 25 minutes in total.
5. 5Once the onion is tender, remove the pan from the heat. Set a fine-mesh strainer lined with a piece of clean muslin cloth (or a clean tea towel) over a bowl. Pour the infused milk through it, catching and discarding the onion pieces, peppercorns, and cloves. You should be left with a smooth, fragrant, spiced milk in the bowl.
6. 6With the strained infused milk in the bowl, begin adding your stale bread crumbs one spoonful at a time, stirring after each addition. Keep adding crumbs and stirring until the sauce thickens to a consistency that holds its shape on a spoon but is still smooth and pourable — similar to a thick pouring sauce. It is important to add the crumbs slowly so you do not over-thicken the sauce; you can always add more but you cannot remove them once added.
7. 7Transfer the bread sauce back into the (rinsed) saucepan. Place over a very low heat and warm it through gently, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom from catching or sticking. Do not allow it to boil. Heat just until steaming and hot throughout.
8. 8Remove the pan from the heat completely. Stir in one spoonful of cream (approximately 1 tablespoon). This final addition off the heat is essential — it enriches the sauce and gives it its characteristic smoothness. According to the original recipe, the yolk of an egg whipped up may be used in place of the cream if preferred. Stir well and serve immediately.