Bread sauce

1 large onion, peeled and halved
100g butter
6 cloves
1 bay leaf
1ltr milk
tsp ground nutmeg
200g fresh white breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

Finely chop one half of the onion and cook it gently in 50g of the butter until it is soft. Stud the other half with the cloves, pushing them through the bay leaf to anchor it. Put the milk, nutmeg and studded onion into the pan with the cooked onion and bring it to the boil. Season and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the sauce to infuse for 30 minutes or so. Take out and discard the studded onion. Add the breadcrumbs and return the sauce to a low heat.

Simmer for 15 minutes, giving it the occasional stir.

Pour one-third of the bread sauce from the pan into the blender and process, then return it to the pan and add the remaining 50g of butter. Stir until the sauce has amalgamated, check and correct (if necessary) the seasoning.