To prepare the glaze, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add the brown sugar and wine and simmer until reduced by half. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the shallots, then return the liquid to the pan. 

Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and bring to a boil; turn your exhaust fan on. As the mixture starts to thicken, lower the heat and slowly reduce the liquid to 1 cup; it will be thick, shiny and smooth. Use chilled or at room temperature. 

This sauce will last for weeks, and you'll find many uses for it!

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the bacon slices one at a time so they don't stick together. Simmer for 3 for 5 minutes, then transfer to paper towels.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the chorizo on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes. This renders some of the fat. Let cool, then remove the skins from the chorizo and cut into rectangles just large enough to tightly replace the pit in the dates. Keep the oven set at 350°F.

Insert a chorizo strip into each date. Lay the bacon slices side by side on a cutting board. Roll a bacon slice tightly around the first date so that it is two layers thick; this should use one-third to one-half of the slice. Cut the bacon at that point and place a toothpick through the bacon and date to hold them together. Using this technique, you should be able to roll 2 or 3 dates from each bacon slice. Repeat with the remaining dates and bacon. You can do this a day in advance; cover and refrigerate.

Place the bacon-rolled dates on a baking sheet and roast until the bacon is crisp on the outside, about 15 minutes. Drizzle very lightly with the balsamic glaze and watch them disappear!