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Bones yield a natural gelatin, and it is this that thickens stocks and sauces. And by following a series of steps, from a rich stock to consommé, we can make a savory aspic. The gelatin that sets this aspic is the same gelatin we use for desserts. A neutral, flavorless gelatin is derived by boiling animal feet. Luckily, we don’t have to boil up bones or calves’ and pigs’ feet to make rich coffee mousses, sparkling fruit jellies, and creamy smooth Bavarians. We can buy our gelatin in a package.

Commercial gelatin became widely available in the late nineteenth century. Granulated gelatin is the most readily available form; it is simple and easy to use. It can be bought in bulk or in individual envelopes; each envelope contains ¼ ounce (7 g) gelatin, which is enough to set 2 cups (500 ml) liquid. Gelatin is also sold in thin sheets, each weighing 1/16 ounce (2 g), which are more commonly used in Europe. Both the granules and the sheets must be soaked in cold liquid before using. This step allows the gelatin to soften and swell so that it will dissolve completely on heating. Today there is also a wide variety of sweetened and flavored gelatin products available, all thanks to bones.

While gelatin is the most common, it is not the sole use of bones in the dessert kitchen. Bones also provide the fat to enrich some desserts. Anyone familiar with English cooking will know the importance of suet, the fat that envelops animals’ kidneys, in the preparation of steamed puddings. I still make my Christmas pudding using suet. Marrow is also part of this tradition. An important source of digestible fat, marrow was often used instead of butter in desserts in the past. Two old English recipes that are easy to make today using marrow are included here. I urge you to try them—the marrow melts into the desserts, and I defy anyone to detect its presence.

There is a French saying that appeals to me (probably because of my food styling background); II extrait la moelle des os. Literally this means, “He takes the marrow out of the bones.” In French, it refers to someone who pays attention to the details.

Another way bones play a sweet role is visually. Halloween is the time for all sorts of chocolate and candy skeletons to appear. In Mexico, as in many Catholic countries, the days after Halloween, November 1 and 2, are the most important. First the saints are celebrated, and then the dead are remembered. Mexicans celebrate the festival by making skeletons, bones, and skulls out of sugar. In Italy, there are sweet cookies called ossi di morto, bones of the dead, or ossi da mordere, bones to chew on. Shaped to resemble bones and skeletons, they are made from a mixture of ground almonds, sugar, and egg white and are traditionally eaten on the Day of the Dead.

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes to the bone.

-DOROTHY PARKER

So bones can accompany you from the beginning of your meal right through to the end.

Barley Marrow Pudding

This recipe is based on a medieval recipe recorded by Dorothy Hartley in her book Food in England. It is really a rice pudding made with barley, because at the time the recipe was written, that was the readily available grain. The barley is cooked in milk, then enriched with bone marrow. The dish is highly nutritious, and according to Chinese medicine, the combination of barley and bone marrow is an excellent tonic for the body. If you need a pick-me-up, this is the dish for you.

The marrow must be soaked ahead of time in salted water, changed frequently to remove any traces of blood. It must be also very cold so you can finely dice it.

4 cups (1 l) milk

1 cup (200 g) pearl barley, rinsed well

½ cup (100 g) sugar

½ cup (70 g) currants

Pinch of kosher salt

3 tablespoons (30 g) finely diced bone marrow

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)

1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the barley, sugar, currants, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer very gently, stirring