Strawberries and Chipotle

Today I spent a fair amount of time preparing lamb sweetbreads.  They had been brined overnight, and needed some attention this morning.  As Aki and I usually do, we analyzed the ancho-cherry condiment I made yesterday and consequently came up with a dried strawberry and chipotle puree to accent the lamb sweetbreads.  After I blanched and cleaned the sweetbreads, and placed them in our circulating water bath to cook, I began to assemble the strawberry-chipotle puree.  I used a chipotle paste, banyuls vinegar, wildflower honey, salt and dried strawberries.  The flavors balanced nicely and the smooth texture of the puree allowed for easy spreading.  When the sweetbreads were cooked, I assembled the dish with celery root pickled with fresh juniper branches, celery leaves and seasoning, and a judicious application of the strawberry chipotle.