A Sweet And Simple Gift

Valentine's Day is around the corner and perhaps you haven't thought of a good gift for your sweetheart yet. What should you do? Creating a special dinner might be the perfect thing.

The Early Show's resident chef Bobby Flay says the best approach to a loving dinner is one that is simple, yet sweet.

Flay creates a menu for two of blue cheese-filled filet mignon with red wine butter, broccoli rabe with caramelized shallots and balsamic vinegar reduction.

Filet mignon is an extremely tender cut of meat that comes from the small end of the tenderloin.

Flay says the hours saved preparing this meal will mean more time for you and your favorite person to be together.

The Recipes

Red Wine Butter

Ingredients
1 bottle dry red wine
2 small shallots, coarsely chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Place wine and shallots in a medium non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the wine is reduced to 1/2 cup. Let cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Mix together the butter and reduced wine/shallot syrup in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the butter and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Ingredients:
4 cups balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:
Place vinegar in a medium non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup. Whisk in the honey and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, vinegar and honey and cook until the shallots are caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it is almost smoking. Add the broccoli rabe, stock or water and the caramelized shallots and cook until the broccoli rabe is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 filet mignon, 10 ounces each
6 ounces domestic or imported blue cheese
4 tablespoons red wine butter

Method:
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until almost smoking. Season both sides of the filet with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the filet until golden brown on both sides and cooked to medium-rare doneness, about 8 minutes total cooking time. Remove the steaks to a plate and make a pocket along the side of each filet using a paring knife. Fill each pocket with 3 ounces of the blue cheese. Top each steak with 2 tablespoons of the red wine butter and serve immediately.