Annie, Thanks for posting the recipe-I'm slow to react today. Here is another recipe: Pork with Fig Sauce Serves 4 8 1/3-inch-thick slices center-cut pork loin 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup minced shallots 3 tablespoons fig balsamic vinegar 1 cup chicken stock 6 fresh ripe figs, quartered 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon minced parsley Preheat oven to 200F. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 pork slices and saute until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to baking sheet. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet. Repeat with remaining 4 pork slices. Transfer pork to oven to keep warm. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar. Simmer until vinegar evaporates, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of skillet, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth. Simmer until mixture is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add figs and whipping cream. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and any accumulated juices from pork. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange pork on plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. **I used dried figs with success

Linda stole my idea! LOL! I was going to suggest a lovely spinach salad with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of any of the flavored Balsamics. There is also a recipe I have filed somewhere for a orange and fennel salad, I think the fig would be fab with it. I also have a recipe for a brie and pear strudel that would be WONDERFUL with a drizzle of one of the sweet balsamics. Or those palmiers form the Silver Palate cookbook with proscuitto and a drizzle of fig balsamic Then there is always the following: Balsamic Glazed Cipolline Onions The sweet sharpness of both the orange juice and the balsamic vinegar combines with the natural sugars in the onions to create a delicious snack that's perfect to serve with cocktails, as an addition to an antipasto assortment, or as an accompaniment to roasted meats. 2 pounds fresh small cipolline onions or pearl onions 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar Blanch onions in large pot of boiling salted water 15 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl of ice water to cool. Trim root end if necessary, leaving core intact. Peel onions. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add onions and sautuntil onions have deep golden brown spots, about 9 minutes. Add orange juice and vinegar; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until onions are just tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to medium bowl. Boil juices in skillet until syrupy and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Pour over onions. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm or bring to room temperature before serving.) Market Tip Cipolline onions are small, flat Italian onions. They can be found in the produce section of many supermarkets and Italian markets. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Bon Appétit May 2005 ************************************************************* Balsamic Glazed Vegetables Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings User Rating: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of your choice of the following, or any combination of: "baby" packaged fresh carrots, brussel sprouts, yellow squash (you can also use broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini) 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish Place veggies in a pan with water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes. Remove lid and raise heat back up. Allow the water to boil away and the vinegar to reduce and glaze the veggies, about 5 to 7 minutes. When the vegetables are glazed, to a sweet, rich brown color add butter to the pan. Turn veggies to coat lightly with butter. Season with salt, pepper and serve. Garnish with parsley. For an optional glaze for the vegetables, substitute 1/4 melted butter and 1/4 cup honey for 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Follow method as listed. Episode#: TM1B58 Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved ***********************************************************

Sourbraten!? Put a steak in a very hot frying pan. When it is almost done dump in half cup of the sweet vinegar. Let the heat reduce it down to a thick sauce. Feed the steak to the dog (or family) and enjoy the delicious pan drippings mopped up on some bread. If you love someone don't let them have any or you may have to fight them to the death for the last little bits. Depending on the flavor it may go well with potatoes, potato salad, or bean soup. : ) lyra

We went to a restaurant in Florence (mostly a pizza place that catered to American tourists), and they had a bottle of faux Balsamic vinegar that was their own concoction, and I called them out on it. I said they could not call it Balsamic because it was not from Modena, and I believe that is the law in Italy. However, most of the American tourists (who seemed like college students) loved it, but I hated it and refused to use it. The waiter we had was also a bit surly and would only speak English to me, even though I spoke perfectly correct Italian to him. We only went to that restaurant because it was across the street from our hotel and it was our last evening there. Food was otherwise okay, but not as good as in other restaurants in Florence. Balsamic vinegar has to be aged in barrels to improve with flavor - it does not improve with age once it has been bottled, unlike some wines, or at least that is my understanding.