Balsamic Reduction

During the holidays, my husband and I hosted a small celebration with some family and friends. I planned to put out some cheese and crackers, but wanted to do something a little different. Amar and I had tried a pear & fontina pizza with a balsamic reduction at Pizza Antica on Santana Row (San Jose, CA), so I decided to pull together a Pear & Cheese bruchetta for this party. I bought some brie and roquefort (both were great, but I LOVED the roquefort), diced some d'anjou pears and then topped the baguette slices (brushed with olive oil, topped with cracked pepper and sea salt, and then baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes). The Balsamic reduction really makes this appetizer awesome. The sweetness of the reduction cuts through the cheese and bread, and as long as the pears are not too sweet, it's a nice complement to them too. Super easy to make, and I'm sure you'll start adding it to all sorts of things (I do!).

Ingredients
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons white granulated sugar

(1) Combine vinegar and balsamic in small sauce pan.
(2) Heat on low heat and stir until mixture reduces by half and becomes syrup-y (about 10 minutes).
(3) Cool and use as syrup, garnish, or condiment for canapes, salads, or even with ice cream!

NOTE: Do NOT breathe in any of the fumes -- vinegar fumes are very strong! Keep and eye on the mixture; it can over reduce and become too thick or even burn.