Barbara's Bread Sauce

Category: Side Dishes & Condiments
Style: British
Special Consideration: Quick and Easy
Servings: Who Knows?

Description:
This was supposed to go up last night but as I was about to post, I lost the internet!!

Having always been an avid cook (my husband says that I don't cook - I cater) and one who loves to entertain, I have over the years adapted many recipes,

The members of my family are not 'turkey people' so most times when I bake a ham, I also make a bread sauce. When I baked the Christmas ham this year (through the night according to my blog!) I made other side dishes but omitted the bread sauce. My daughter has been on and on about it since and so when we came home from the annual family Christmas Day lunch earlier, I decided to throw it together.

I am giving the original recipe here but I tend to increase the quantities.


Ingredients:
One onion
8 cloves
1 and 1/2 pints of milk (900 mls)
6 peppercorns
1 Bay Leaf

6 ozs Bread Crumbs. I don't weigh - I just keep adding until I get the right consistency


Directions:
Stick the cloves into the onion. I use more than 8.

Put the onion into a pan and add the milk.

Add bay leaf. I use two/three

Add the peppercorns. I just throw in a few - counting is a waste of time!

Put pan containing onion with cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns and milk onto hot plate.

Bring to the boil.

Take off hotplate/burner/whatever - cover and put to one side. Leave for at least an hour and a half - sometimes I leave it overnight so that all the flavours really do fuse,

In the meantime, prepare the breadcrumbs. - chopper or whatever piece of equipment you use to make breadcrumbs.

Drain milk - i.e. remove onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and bay leaves.

Add the breadcrumbs to the milk. I don't weigh and certainly used more than 6 ozs. Six ozs is one mingy bread sauce!

Return pan to hotplate, bring to boil - add a couple of ounces of butter and stir until butter completely folded and melted into the sauce.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with turkey/chicken/ham. Can be served hot or cold,

Notes:

I do not like my bread sauce to pour and that's why I add more freshly made bread crumbs. than the original recipe calls for. If you want it runny, 6ozs will suffice.

The longer you leave the ingredients in the milk, the stronger the taste. I prefer that - you may not!

Very important: do not ever make Classic Bread sauce from a packet!!

Enjoy!