balsamic vinager adds a flair to gourmet cooking. A gourmet kitchen without balsamico vinegar is hard to imagine. Less than twenty years ago, aged balsamic was nearly an obscure Tuscany ingredient. Now, gourmet chefs use it more and more. A couple of drops of the very best balsamic vinegar on ripe strawberries, bartlett pears, or other fruit is the traditional combination to end a main course.