Steak with Shallots in Red Wine Sauce in the Style of Albi Recipe

Season the steaks with salt and pepper; rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Dry the steaks with paper towels. In a 2-quart nonreactive saucepan, combine the whole shallots, halved garlic head, red wine, 1½ teaspoons of the sugar, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the herb bouquet. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the liquid is reduced by three quarters. Remove from the heat; discard the herb bouquet and garlic. Scrape the liquid and shallots into a small bowl and hold until ready to finish the dish. Sear the steaks in a very hot, lightly oiled well-seasoned heavy skillet, 2 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the steaks to a cake rack and let them rest while finishing the sauce. Blot out any fat in the skillet. Add the vinegar to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil until reduced to a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Add ½ cup of the stock and boil down to a syrupy glaze. Add the shallots and red-wine reduction. Stir in 1½ teaspoons of the sugar and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce begins to glisten. Add the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan; boil down to ¾ cup and set aside. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet until hot. Return the steaks to the pan and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, to finish to the desired degree of doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Reheat the sauce. Swirl in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice the steaks and arrange the meat on a heated platter. Spoon the shallots and sauce over the steak. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh herbs and serve at once. You want to use a heavy red wine with a high alcoholic content here so that it will reduce to a rich consistency.