Today’s food craze can often be an exclusive phenomenon, available only to those with deep enough pocketbooks to enjoy gourmet fare or to those whose lifestyle allows them the freedom to seek out the newest restaurant or food trend. But sometimes the impact of a food-obsessed culture ripples far enough to raise the bar on humble, everyday food made in home kitchens.

Those ripples no doubt have contributed to the rise in use of balsamic vinegar, crushed grapes that are cooked or otherwise processed to create a thick, sweet vinegar.

While the range in quality is vast, high-quality balsamic possesses characteristics similar to those of wine that reflect where it was grown and how it was produced. The finished product adds depth and dimension to a dish. And we’re not just talking vinaigrette.

Balsamic vinegar can be used in marinades and sauces, as a substitute for other ingredients or simply drizzled atop everything from salads to ice cream.

Balsamic vinegar enhances the flavor of whatever it’s added to because of its acidity, says chef Keith Endo of Vino Italian Tapas and Wine Bar.

"If you drizzle it over, say, chicken after it’s cooked, it brightens it. It’s like squeezing a piece of lemon on fish — it livens it up. Once the acid hits the palate, it opens the pores in the mouth, and the taste buds absorb a lot of flavor. Just a touch of balsamic vinegar lengthens the flavor and the finish of a dish," he said. "Balsamic has an umami effect." (Umami, known as the fifth flavor after sweet, salty, sour and bitter, adds dimension and deliciousness to other flavors.)

The highest-grade balsamic is produced in Modena or Reggio Emilia, both in Italy, in a traditional process using either Trebbiano or Lambrusco grapes. The process follows guidelines dictated by Italian law.

These balsamics are cooked, reduced, then aged in barrels for at least 12 years to produce a sweet, dark, syrupy product full of complexity. Small bottles cost hundreds of dollars.

Endo believes this type of balsamic is best utilized for finishing a dish in the same way finishing salts are applied.

"You don’t cook with it or use a lot of it," he said.

At the other end of the spectrum are commercial balsamics produced en masse daily using wine vinegar or even distilled vinegar, combined with such ingredients as caramel and thickeners to artificially simulate the traditional product.

In between are "condimento" balsamics, high-quality, commercially produced versions.

In Hawaii, the Island Olive Oil Co. offers 50 flavors of condimento balsamics made traditionally in Modena but aged less than 12 years.

These balsamics are combined with extracts and essential oils to create such flavors as Cranberry Pear White Balsamic, Dark Chocolate Balsamic, Espresso Balsamic, Honey Ginger Balsamic and Lavender Balsamic.

Possibilities are endless for incorporating the flavored balsamics. Chocolate Balsamic, for instance, can be drizzled on ice cream, included in marinades or incorporated into mole and barbecue sauces. Jalapeno balsamic is perfect for salsa or fish tacos.

Customers are welcome to taste the vinegars, says owner Dana Bergeman, who has compiled a pairings chart that combines the vinegars with his line of flavored olive oils.

"When people taste the combos, they say, ‘Wow!’ We have a growing clientele, and the repeat business is tremendous," he said.

Bergeman says some clients use his products to replace seasonings or sauces restricted from their diets. Someone who can’t have maple syrup, for instance, can try the combo of maple balsamic and butter olive oil, a dead ringer for the sugary syrup.

"All the fats in these combos are healthy, and everything is natural," Bergeman said.

"Thousands of combinations are possible."

ADD A SWEET-TART TASTE TO DISHES

REDUCTIONS

Reducing balsamic vinegar isn’t difficult but it takes attention. If it gets too thick, "it’ll be like glue when you refrigerate it," said chef Keith Endo of Vino Italian Tapas and Wine Bar.

To ensure success, reduce by half: Dip a chopstick in a pot of balsamic to measure the amount. Cook it down, monitoring the level of the liquid, until it hits halfway down the original mark on the chopstick.

Ideas for reductions:

>> Top everything from chicken and steak to bruschetta, ice cream and fruit.

>> "Experiment with it," Endo said. "I could see it in a turkey sandwich with cranberry, pesto, tomato and ham."

>> Whisk together basil, garlic and olive oil, then drizzle with reduction. "It’ll be like a vinaigrette but look nicer," Endo said.

SUBSTITUTION

An example: Endo often subs good-quality balsamic vinegar for Worcestershire sauce, saying it lends a more complex flavor and depth.

MARINADES

>> Add pungent herbs to marinades that include balsamic vinegar for a rustic-style dish. Rosemary and thyme, and roasted garlic, are good choices.

>> Endo cautions not to soak meats in balsamic marinades for more than three hours: The vinegar’s acidic properties allow flavors to penetrate the meat quickly.

INCORPORATE BALSAMIC INTO LOCAL DISHES

The key to incorporating balsamic vinegar into local-style food is care and moderation. "You don’t want to take away from the end result — if not, it becomes a different dish," said chef Keith Endo of Vino Italian Tapas and Wine Bar. Local people often prefer to stick to their favorite foods, he said, but with care the addition of balsamic vinegar can add a nice twist. Some examples from Endo:

>> Local palates like sweet flavors. Reduced balsamic vinegar can provide sweetness.

>> Local recipes that require acidity are good candidates for a touch of balsamic vinegar. Replace lemon with a quick drizzle of balsamic.

>> Balsamic vinegar and soy sauce: These work well together in the proper ratios. Experiment to find that perfect balance: Endo tests sauces by mixing four to five combos with different ratios, then soaks one piece of meat in each sauce, cooks them and tastes them.

>> Teriyaki sauce: Add balsamic to your favorite recipe to slightly alter the characteristic of the sauce. Ratio of soy sauce to balsamic should be at least 4-to-1.

>> Kalbi sauce: Add ginger, green onion and garlic to a sauce that includes balsamic vinegar. These strong flavors hide the pungency of the vinegar but still allow the flavor of balsamic to come through for a long finish, meaning the flavor will stay on the palate for a long time.

COOKING WITH BALSAMIC

BRAISED CHICKEN
Chef Keith Endo, Vino Italian Tapas

5 pounds chicken thighs
Flour for coating chicken
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large tomatoes, sliced into 1-inch chunks
1 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into chunks
2 cups white wine
3 (14-ounce) cans chicken stock
3 tablespoons balsamic reduction, for drizzling (if you’re not making your own, purchase at R. Field, located in some Foodland locations)
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

>> Marinade:
1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 sprigs thyme, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

Combine marinade ingredients.

In large bowl, mix chicken into marinade, cover and marinate in refrigerator for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade; pat dry and salt and pepper each thigh.

Flour thighs and in pan, heat oil and brown chicken. Remove to shallow baking dish.

After thighs are browned, adjust heat to medium-high, then add tomatoes and mushrooms and saute 5 to 6 minutes. Raise heat to high, add wine and reduce liquid by half, then add stock. Bring to boil, then pour over chicken.

Cover dish and bake 2-1/2 hours.

In the meantime, if making your own reduction: In small pot, combine 1 cup balsamic vinegar and 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar (sugar will ensure sweetness without having to reduce balsamic to the point where it will overthicken). Stir well until sugar is almost dissolved and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer. Be watchful; when balsamic reduces by half, remove from heat.

Remove pan from oven, transfer chicken to serving dish and pour stock into saucepan. On high, bring to boil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes; sauce will thicken.

Pour sauce on chicken. Drizzle with reduction and sprinkle with zest and parsley.

Serve over pasta or with rice. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 1150 calories, 82 g fat, 18 g saturated fat, 320 mg cholesterol, 1000 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 58 g protein