On roasting bone marrow....

        Roasted bone marrow is a very simple and delicious dish that most chefs tend to overlook. It's very simple to prepare and surprisingly inexpensive. The last time I ordered some from my purveyor I got them for $2.00 a pound. Roasted bone marrow can be paired with a numerous amounts of ingredients making it a very vesatile and interesting product. At the last place I worked I made a surf and turf using roasted bone marrow and seared bay scallops. I paired it with a spicy aioli, finger limes, and salsa verde. 

        As I mentioned before it is very simple to prepare. You want to take your bones and soak them in ice water for 24 hours; making sure to change the water once after 12 hours. The purpose behind this is to extract any blood from the bones prior to cooking. The cooking process involves salting the top of the bones and cooking them at 375F for about 8 minutes. You know your marrow is ready to go when it's hot and it has the consistency of a soft custard. I sold some roasted bone marrow the other day and topped the bones with braised oxtail, maitake mushrooms, and cipollini onions. To finish the dish I drizzled some green chermoula (moraccan salsa verde) over the oxtail mixture to give it an element of acidity that would cut through the richness of the marrow/oxtail mixture. Here are some pictures of the finished product.....