Food for Thought:
Bread Sauce
Food waste is a hot topic these days. While this issue is getting a lot of attention at present, it has in fact been a concern throughout most of history. Care was taken with all forms of food, but the most foundational food in most cultures is some form of starch, which in the West has generally meant bread, and so there is a considerable history of not letting bread go to waste. Most cultures that consume bread have multiple dishes that utilize bread after it has passed its prime. In some cases, the dishes have become iconic in their own right. The French pain perdu, which means “lost bread,” is perhaps one of the more familiar examples, though we know it in the U.S. as French toast. One hardly thinks of making French toast as an act of desperation or even frugality.
Bread might not be cherished now to the extent it once was (though this varies by country, circumstances, or individual preference). When it was announced that the French had no bread prior to the French Revolution, the reason behind the shortage was that, when there were years with bad wheat yields and French farmers were encouraged to grow something besides wheat, they wouldn’t do it, because bread was what the French ate. In Slavic countries, bread and salt is considered a symbol of hospitality. The word “loaf” in English comes to us from the Old English hlaf, and its importance is reflected in the fact that the word for the keeper of the loaf, or hlaford, is the source of our word “lord,” while “lady” comes from hlafdige, or “kneader of the loaf.” And a companion is someone with whom you share pan, aka bread.
The result of millennia of care is that there are a lot of recipes that utilize bread that is no longer perfectly fresh. (We’re not talking moldy bread, just dried out and unpleasant.) I have used “too old” bread in soups, stratas, and casseroles, but one delightful and historic application is bread sauce. Bread sauce has been popular in England since the Middle Ages. Originally served primarily on roasted game fowl or chicken, once turkey was introduced from the Americas, the big bird and this delicious sauce have become almost inseparable in the UK. While the British associate it primarily with Christmas, bread sauce can actually be served any time. The texture is thick and creamy and the taste is somewhat reminiscent of good turkey stuffing. It is so popular that, in England, there are commercial brands and ready-mades available from food stores—but it’s easy to make, reheats well, and can even be frozen, so there is little reason to not just make your own. Having this on hand can turn the roasted bird you pick up at the grocery store into a somewhat more festive meal. And if you don’t usually have white bread on hand, it’s okay to just buy some bread and let it dry out. White bread also freezes well, so it’s easy to have some dry bread handy when you need it.
Bread Sauce
1 medium onion
4 whole cloves
2 cups whole milk
1 large or two small bay leaves
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (approximate)
3 Tbs. heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Push the cloves into the onion (not required but makes it easier to retrieve them later). Cut the onion in quarters and place in 1-quart sauce pan. Pour in the milk and add the bay leaf or leaves and butter. Put on low heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Be careful to not let it boil—just simmer.
At the end of 30 minutes, remove the onion, cloves, and bay leaves. (I put the onion in a large measuring cup to make it easy to pour milk back into the sauce pan as the onion drains.) Stir in the bread crumbs and then beat in the heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Should be fairly thick—not a solid, but heavier than gravy. Add a pinch or two of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve warm. Makes about three cups sauce.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Note: Use good white bread that is a few days old and drying out. Remove the crust before using. For centuries, the bread would be torn up by hand, but if you want finer crumbs, you can put it in a food processor. The texture and dryness of the bread will determine how much you need to use, so you may need a little more or a little less than the one cup of crumbs indicated. If sauce is too thick, you can always add a little more cream.
