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I have cooked a steak Gordon Ramsay style (oil, butter, thyme and garlic).
Now after I have prepared and seared the steak, what can I do with the remainders in the pan?
Its brown butter with the seasoning in it, do I just dispose of it, use for some other meat (although I have an issue making it medium-rare, since the pan is supposed to be extremely hot before dropping the meat in, but that would burn the thyme and garlic completely).
Often, assuming they are not too burned, you would make a simple pan sauce from the fond and fat left after pan-cooking a steak. Methods vary, but might include sauteeing some shallots or onions in the fat, deglazing with wine, and/or adding a slurry of flour to thicken. You would then serve with the steak.
Other than this, there is no general purpose use for the left over pan drippings.
I tend to keep some of the butter that I have use in cooking previously, especially if it isn't burned and has some good flavour infused into it.
For example, the next time you cook your steak why don't you strain the butter and set it again in the fridge. The next time you fancy a steak sandwich use that butter for the bread. It will add a little bit extra to the sandwich that you won't get from the steak alone. I wouldn't keep butter made this way too long though as it will spoil.
If you ever make bacon lardons by "deep" frying them in butter (I used to do this for caesar salads when I was a chef), you can then set the bacony butter in the fridge and it makes a fantastic medium for frying fish in. Try it with salmon or inexpensive white flat fish instead of a beurre noisette.
I concur with the other posters. Make a sauce. I actually am fond of making tomato sauces with the fat residue left in frying pans. Sometimes I use a jar of pasta sauce which with the fat makes a great sauce.
You can also use general canned tomatoes. Even things like onion relish can be really good when made with this. Dont be afraid to use some flower to give the sauce a nice consistency.
