It’s been a while since I cooked a meal for the blog, so when a leg of lamb arrived at my doorstep (care of the lovely folks at the American Lamb board), I took that as a sign that I should get my ass in the kitchen. I’ve been on a carrot kick all spring, and I’ve made several variations of the caramelized carrot soup from Modernist Cuisine. It occurred to me that the deep, sweet flavor of pressure-cooked carrots is not too dissimilar from that of a beef demi-glace (the thick, rich sauce that restaurants often serve over red meat). This is undoubtedly the quickest demi-glace you’ll ever make, and I’ve gotta say, it’s fucking amazing. Vegetarians will throw a parade in my honor.
Thinking about demi-glace also got me in the mood for bone marrow. I’ve seen a few faux marrow preparations in the past and I always find them amusing. However, a big part of the appeal of roasted bone marrow is its decadent, gelatinous texture. For my version, I decided to use a section of leek as a fake bone and achieve a convincing marrow texture by pressure cooking leek and onion, then setting it in a fluid gel. The result was quite a bit darker than roasted bone marrow, but the richness and texture were spot-on.
For the recipe, keep reading…