Marrow Bones

[Megan Blocker]

Well, this American loves marrow, however it's prepared. Oddly, my mom, usually a pretty adventurous eater, does not like it. I think that's a residual effect...apparently, my dad's family used to sit around the table cracking open chicken bones and sucking the inside out. Guess that turned her off...

But she certainly ate the little bit of it on her plate next to the sirloin and short rib at Hearth! I didn't have the heart to tell her what it had been.

And, yes, it appears on menus pretty frequently in these parts. In fact, I just had some a few weeks ago at Cafe D'Alsace on 2nd Avenue.

[The Old Foodie]

For its curiosity value, for all of you whether you love or hate marrow, it was so prized in olden timesthat it was felt necessary to be able to counterfeit it.

From An Anonymous Andalusian manuscript of the Thirteenth Century

“The Making of Marrow Without Marrow, Which No One Will Suspect”.

“Take fresh kidney meat and remove its veins, and peel off the spleen its under-skin; take one part of the spleen, and five parts of clean kidney fat; pound all this until it is like brains, and stuff this into tripe or large intestines or cane tubes or the like, and boil it in a pot of tafaya; take it out and empty it into a serving dish and serve it hot.”

Edited June 28, 2006 by The Old Foodie (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Does this mean bones are going to get expensive? Where can I find me some spleen and kidney fat?

Actually that counterfeit recipe would probably taste pretty much identical to marrow being nothing more than blood with a bit of connective tissue and fat.

Maybe the well stocked kitchen store could sell empty bones to stuff it in, just like the shells for coquille St Jacques.

[slo_ted]

I love marrow roasted. Well, with a little salt, pepper. and garlic. In fact it is amazing to eat. Yes, I think most people are afraid of it because it is unusual and because of the fat content. So for comfort and predictability, they get a Big Mac.

[chardan]

marrow: meat butter

foie gras: meat candy

Mmmm-mmmm.

[Bill Miller]

I have my very own marrow spoons--great--no sucking required.

[joancassell]

I've always wanted marrow spoons! I now have Oxo implements, purchased at Zabar's as lobster forks. One end has a little fork, the other end a very small spoon. So now I have marrow spoons. Not silver, which would be comme il faut, but they do the job.

[Shannon_Elise]

I'd never had marrow bones before preparing them for my parent's anniversary dinner when I was 19 and cooking out of the French Laundry cookbook. I decided against telling them what exactly they were eating (Dad's a meat and potatoes guy; Mom cooks permanately with "cream of..." soup). They both loved the marrow and asked for more to spread on the french bread I made.

The biggest surprise came when I repeated the braised short ribs with bone marrow menu for my entire family - including my (at the time) six year old nephew. I had to explain to him what he was eating, and he still asked for more. Of course this is the same kid I took to the farmer's market and when he pointed to the cleaned and skinned rabbits and asked what they were I told him they were like the family's pet bunny, but intended for cooking instead of petting. He wasn't grossed out, he didn't flinch...he only asked when "Aunt Shannon" was going to cook Clarice (the pet rabbit's name). "She's a little too old and tough," I said.

Anyway, back to the marrow, I always use the technique described in "The French Laundry Cookbook." Haven't tried it in a restaurant. In fact, I'm not sure I've seen much of it on menus in Columbus, Ohio.

Shannon

[Hest88]

I'd love to get marrow spoons because they're so pretty, but a chopstick works just as well. One little push and the entire marrow pellet pops out!

[CharityCase]

I'd love to get marrow spoons because they're so pretty, but a chopstick works just as well. One little push and the entire marrow pellet pops out!

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I had some delicious bones at a restaurant in Dublin..can't remember the name but they were served in the traditional fashion with a spoon, some fresh brioche, sea salt and a small salad.

As god as they were I think I might like them in bordelaise more. The "beefy butter" description is about right which is why it pairs so nicely with beef in the first place.

[charalito]

resurrecting an old topic: marvelous marrow bones.

In Mexico marrow bones are boiled as part of the Puchero beef stew (and I think in Colombia they are part of Ajiaco aswell). When you are lucky enough to have a piece of bone with marrow in your stew/soup, you take a fresh tortilla, spread the "tuétano" (marrow) and add some salt! Heaven!

And since the marrow bones are usually coveted and we don't want to cause family troubles, you can buy extra bones to add to the stew, one for each family member!

[Peter the eater]

I guess I am just wondering how come nobody out here appreciates marrow?  Are they scared?  I'd like to know what someone else thinks of this product.  If they might enjoy it as much as I.

Marrow has come a long way in recent years, at least in my world. As a kid I'd eat the bit from the t-bone but I didn't have any family elders making restorative potions or anything that featured marrow bones.

Inspired by Fergus Henderson's famous dish, I roasted some fresh beef bones for an open-faced marrow and parsley salad sandwich:

The parsley salad is true to St. John's complete with capers, olive oil and lemon juice. I added horseradish mayo and lots of cracked black pepper and crunchy salt.

I love the stuff but only in modest quantities - any more than what's pictured above gets really rich really fast. My butcher charges $0.49/lb so a large femur shaft can be had for a dollar. Outrageous value.

[Peter the eater]

Forgot to add the before shot, as in before 20 minutes at 400F. Apparently this cow was walking on Friday, August 1st:

[JAZ]

I love the stuff but only in modest quantities - any more than what's pictured above gets really rich really fast.

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Very true. It's a nice appetizer, but not a main course. However, if you can't eat it all, leftover marrow is a great ingredient. I've mixed it with parmiggiano and spread it on bread, broiled it and used it to float on French onion soup. It's also great for steak sandwiches.

[CalumC]

Forgot to add the before shot, as in before 20 minutes at 400F. Apparently this cow was walking on Friday, August 1st:

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Oh that has really got me in the mood.

What bones are they?

[Peter the eater]

Forgot to add the before shot, as in before 20 minutes at 400F. Apparently this cow was walking on Friday, August 1st:

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Oh that has really got me in the mood.

What bones are they?

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It's the shaft of a leg bone from a Hereford that was cut up for me at the butcher's shop. I saw a big ball at one end but now that I think about it, I guess it could be a femur or a humerus - if cow bones are named like human bones.

Each piece is 2"-3" long and yielded a plump plug of marrow bigger than a wine cork but smaller than a marshmallow. Two pieces made the sandwich above.

My lunch guests balked when offered the marrow but wanted to know what it tasted like - ingrates! I told them it was like a luxurious beefy jello on the verge of liquefaction. Still no takers, maybe I should have said unctuous.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Peter the eater (log)

[phong]

Yum. While picking up some beef navel plate for pastrami and chuck for goulash, I decided to buy some center cut bones.

A tasty snack with parsley salad ala Fergus Henderson... and the dogs love the leftover bone.