Okay, it’s about time somebody stood up and said it. Packet bread sauce actually tastes nice. Not wonderful, but nice and in fact, is a whole lot nicer than the ready-made varieties you can buy in the supermarkets at Christmas,which for some reason never, ever taste good. What have they done to them, how can it be so tasteless?
However, home-made bread sauce is the best thing ever and tastes fantastic and is an absolute must, cold in your Christmas sandwich for Boxing Day. (trust me on this, layers of turkey, cold bread sauce, cranberry sauce,stuffing, mayonnaise and a little wholegrain mustard preferably in a crusty white baguette)
Anyway, I digress. My recipe for Bread Sauce is slightly different because I leave the onion in it, I have never understood why you would throw it away, when the flavour of soft, buttery onion is so good. This is easy to prepare in advance and put in the freezer. Just defrost on Christmas Eve, and warm gently on the day adding a little cream and the butter before serving and a little nutmeg if you like the flavour. It really is delicious.
Bread sauce
Ingredients:
1 small or half of a large, mild white onion, finely chopped (don’t even think of using a red onion, it won’t work!), 10 cloves, 10 peppercorns, 1 bayleaf and 2 sprigs of thyme, 500ml full cream milk, 50g butter, 100g of dried white breadcrumbs or cubed, stale white bread, salt and pepper to taste. To serve: 4 tablespoons double cream, 50g butter, fresh grated nutmeg
Method
- Add the cloves, peppercorns, bayleaf and thyme to the milk in a non-stick saucepan
- Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and cover.
- Stand for at least 2 hours or overnight if preferred
- Fish out the herbs, cloves and peppercorns
- Melt 50g butter in a saucepan and add the finely chopped onion
- Sweat the onion gently, until soft and translucent for 5 to 10 minutes – do not allow to brown.
- Add the breadcrumbs
- Bring to the boil
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes
(If you are going to freeze the sauce, leave to cool and do it now)
Add the cream and remaining butter, do not allow to boil – Season and grate fresh nutmeg and serve
The Bombay Boys 