There are as many recipes for bread sauce as there are turkeys. The main disagreements center on whether it should be flavored with cloves or mace. I’ve tried both, and both are delicious. A "blade mace is the delicate red lattice that surrounds a nutmeg. It is separated at harvest and sold as a spice in its own right. The cooking method is the same whichever spice you use.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 3 whole cloves, or 1 blade mace
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ¾ to 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, from day-old white bread
Instructions
Put the milk, spices and onion in a small saucepan and heat until almost boiling.
Simmer just below boiling point for 15–20 minutes, until the onion is cooked and the flavor of it and the spices are infused into the milk. Drain the milk, discard the onion and spice, then beat in enough breadcrumbs to make a smooth, thick sauce. The sauce should not be runny at all. It is spooned onto the plate, not poured on. Season to taste, return to the heat and cook on a very low flame for another 5–10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve with turkey, chicken or game.
