White Bread, crust removed

Tear the bread into very small pieces; you should have about 1 cup. Pour the milk or cream over the bread and let it soak until the bread is very soft and moist, about 10 minutes. Add the ground pork and veal, the egg, brown sugar, salt, pepper, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix until very smooth with an even color. (If the mixture becomes warm as you blend it, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill.). Divide the mixture into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a meatball.

Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in batches and fry, turning occasionally, until they have a good color on all sides and are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Pour the oil from the skillet and add the butter to pan. Cook over low heat, stirring well, to loosen all the browned bits. Stir in flour and cook until bubbly. Add the broth, salt, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream until smooth. Add the meatballs to the sauce and warm gently over low heat until the meatballs are hot.