Fillet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

Heat saute pan, then add butter (and maybe a touch of olive oil). When hot, add meat. Let cook 2 or maybe 3 minutes, then turn over and repeat on the other side. (If cooking two or more pieces, be sure not to crowd the meat; leave about 1/2 inch space between pieces.) The meat is rare when the meat has some spring to it. (If you only cook about 2 minutes per side, the inside will be almost raw--depending on thickness, of course.) Remove meat to warm plate. Pour off most of the grease/fat/oil, but leave about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Add finely chopped shallots (your call on the amount) and saute for a minute or so. Add good dry red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown residue on the pan bottom. (I used about a half cup of a good Cabernet Sauvignon--the same we served with the meal.) Let the wine reduce until it's almost syrupy. Add a bit of butter, let the butter swirl in and mix, then dribble the sauce over the meat. We served this with boiled red potatoes with parsley butter, steamed broccoli with lemon butter, and a tomatoe salad (dressed with a vinagrette made of extra virgin olive oil steeped with mashed garlic, red wine vinegar, a little balsamic vinegar, and various "Italian-style" spices).