Gourmet cooking with balsamic vinegar takes skill and experience. A kitchen without aged balsamic vinegar is incomplete. Less than 20 years ago, balsamico was nearly an unknown Italian condiment. Now, gourmet cooks use it extensively in gourmet recipes. A couple drops of the very best balsamic vinegar on ripe strawberries, bartlett pears, or other fruit is a unique dessert to end a meal.