Buttery shallot bread sauce

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 10 shallots, finely sliced (see tip, below)
• 6 cloves
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf, plus extra to serve
• 600ml full-fat milk
• pinch white pepper
• 100g fresh white breadcrumbs, from a good-quality loaf
• 5 tbsp single or double cream, plus more to serve, if you like
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

Directions

1. Heat the butter and oil in a pan, then add the shallots, cloves, thyme and bay and cook very, very gently for 15 mins until soft, translucent and pale golden.
2. Remove the cloves, add the milk and pepper, then bring to a gentle simmer for 10 mins. Stir in the breadcrumbs, give it another 5 mins or so over a very low heat until the bread has plumped up nicely, then stir in the cream and nutmeg. Fish out the stalks from the thyme – the leaves will have fallen off. Season to taste. To serve, grate over a little more nutmeg, drizzle with a little more cream and decorate with a bay leaf.