Bonus Bones

My mother had sterling silver marrow spoons that she inherited from her grandmother who clearly had more money than she knew what to do with. It was this kind of snooty thing that Mom cherished and we kids always greeted with snickers of embarrassment, hoping our friends would never find out that we actually dressed for dinner each evening and sat down to her shining mahogany table set with real silver and fine china. It seemed elitist to us and downright un-American. Aw, Mo-o-o-o-m!

Mom said that marrow bones were delicious but, lioness though she was, she never mustered the courage to try feeding them to her brood. Her marrow spoons saw the light of day only for polishing; she knew her audience and didn't relish the grimaces she knew we were capable of.

After being roasted then simmered in broth for hours, you wouldn't think there would be much left of the bones I used to make that delicious onion soup, but there was a little marrow still clinging to the insides, so we decided to try it. I reheated the bones while the herb toasts browned and we scooped out the marrow to spread on the toasts. We may have been slightly hesitant to take that first bite but the rich, beefy scent convinced us.

As usual, Mom was right. Not only was it delicious and knives sufficed, but sterling silver marrow spoons would have made the extraction an elegant exercise.