Creamy Chipotle Sauce (Crema de Chipotle)

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• ¼ cup white onion (finely chopped)
• 1 small garlic clove (minced)
• 1 cup Mexican crema (or full-fat sour cream)
• ⅓ cup canned crushed pineapple packed in juice (very well drained and divided)
• 1 medium chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• ½ teaspoon granulated chicken bouillon (preferably low-sodium)
• 1 teaspoon lime juice (freshly squeezed, plus more to taste)
• fine sea salt (as needed)
• 1–2 tablespoons whole milk (only as needed to adjust the consistency)

Instructions

1. Drain the Pineapple: Place the crushed pineapple in a fine-mesh strainer. Press it gently with the back of a spoon to remove the excess juice. Measure 1 tablespoon of the drained pineapple into a small bowl and reserve it for the final pulsing step.⅓ cup crushed pineapple
2. Sauté the Onion: Heat the avocado oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the white onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely softened and translucent without developing brown color.1 tbsp avocado oil, ¼ cup white onion
3. Add the Garlic: Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, just until fragrant. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the aromatics cool for 2–3 minutes.1 small garlic clove
4. Reserve Some Onion: Measure 1 tablespoon of the cooked onion into the bowl with the reserved pineapple. Leave the remaining onion, garlic, and oil in the saucepan.1 tbsp cooked onion, 1 tbsp reserved pineapple
5. Blend the Base: Transfer the remaining cooked onion, garlic, and oil to a food processor or blender. Add the Mexican crema, remaining drained pineapple, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and chicken bouillon. Blend for 20–30 seconds, until creamy and mostly smooth.1 cup Mexican crema, remaining crushed pineapple, 1 chipotle pepper, 1 tsp adobo sauce, ½ tsp chicken bouillon
6. Pulse in the Texture: Add the reserved cooked onion and pineapple to the blended sauce. Pulse in short, 1-second bursts 2–4 times, stopping to check the texture after each pulse. reserved cooked onion and pineapplereserved cooked onion and pineapple
7. Warm the Sauce: Pour the sauce back into the saucepan. Warm over the lowest heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot enough to serve. Do not allow the sauce to simmer or boil.blended chipotle-pineapple crema
8. Finish with Lime: Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lime juice.1 tsp lime juice
9. Adjust the Balance: Taste the sauce. Add more lime juice a few drops at a time if it needs brightness, and add fine sea salt only if needed. fine sea salt, 1–2 tbsp whole milk as neededfine sea salt, 1–2 tbsp whole milk as needed
10. Serve: Serve the sauce warm over chicken, grilled shrimp, fish, pork, tacos, stuffed peppers, roasted vegetables, or appetizers.finished Creamy Chipotle-Pineapple Sauce