5 Ingredients or Fewer

Roasted and Whipped Bone Marrow

November  6, 2014
4
1 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Makes about 1 cup
Author Notes

This is my favorite simple way to prepare bone marrow—the herbs add a little freshness and whipping makes it look slightly more presentable than it does fresh out of the oven. Spread it on toast, cook eggs or roast vegetables with it, or let it melt over your steak while it’s resting. If it’s the main event and you’re just spreading it on bread, some acid (like a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar) will help cut the fatty richness. —Cara Nicoletti

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 beef femur bones, canoed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • lemon wedges or white wine vinegar for serving
Directions
  1. Place canoed marrow bones, marrow side-up, on a roasting sheet lined with tinfoil and pre-heat your oven to 425° F. Roast for 25 minutes.
  2. When the bones have cooled enough to handle, scoop the marrow out into a bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool (Save your bones to make stock! It will still be hearty without the marrow).
  3. When the marrow has cooled to the consistency of softened butter (like what you would use for making cookies), place it in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip it until it is white and fluffy, like whipped butter. Whip in herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can cook with this whipped marrow like you would cook with butter, or you can spread it on toast with a squeeze of lemon.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Kasia Kowalski
    Kasia Kowalski
  • David Lee Hicks
    David Lee Hicks
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    cucina di mammina
  • Panfusine
    Panfusine
  • Julie Gomoll
    Julie Gomoll
Cara Nicoletti is a butcher and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Cara started working in restaurants when she moved to New York in 2004, and was a baker and pastry chef for several years before following in her grandfather and great-grandfathers' footsteps and becoming a butcher. She is the writer behind the literary recipe blog, Yummy-Books.com, and author of Voracious, which will be published by Little, Brown in 2015. She is currently a whole-animal butcher and sausage-making teacher at The Meat Hook in Williamsburg.

11 Reviews

Kasia K. January 27, 2021
How long does this last if stored?
 
David L. July 10, 2018
Beautiful.
 
patricia.k.jean January 7, 2017
Do you soak the marrow bones prior to roasting? Just wondering what happens to the coagulated grey matter if you don't.
 
Joe O. August 29, 2020
The use of soaking removes blood (Grey matter is not an opinion as the central nervous system is no longer intact)
 
Foodie52 November 23, 2014
I made this today, and it was delicious. This is now my preferred way of eating bone marrow. It's also perfect for introducing to roasted bone marrow to friends who find scooping marrow out of a piece of bone off putting.
 
cucina D. November 9, 2014
I love bone marrow! Never knew whipping it could look so different and I want to try this soon... i too need to find a reputable butcher where I know the bones are truly organic and fresh. Thanks for such a wonderful and tasty concept.
 
Panfusine November 9, 2014
wow, it whips up to a snowy white color?.. never imagined marrow in that shade! interesting to learn!
 
Julie G. November 7, 2014
How long will this last in the fridge? Can it be freezed?
 
Cara N. November 12, 2014
Hi Julie, it will last about 3 weeks in the fridge. Frozen it will last up to 6 months!
 
Pegeen November 7, 2014
What a great article. I haven't used marrow for a long time but my grandmothers who taught me how to cook used it often. It's hard to find a "butcher" these days, though, if you don't live in an urban area. I have to drive quite a while to get to a farm whose produce I would trust.
 
Pegeen November 7, 2014
...should have said, whose "animals" I would trust (not "produce")