More than a dozen cookbooks have been published about spiralizers, those gadgets that can turn produce into long, thin strands, and they aren't all about how to make zucchini noodles. That low-carb "spaghetti" might grace the cover of Denise Smart's "Spiralize Now! 80 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Your Spiralizer" (Weldon Owen, $19.95), but the book includes dozens of recipes that aren't trying to mimic pasta. She explains how to make crispy potato curls, plantain fritters, baked vegetable chips and a shaved carrot salad.
This butternut squash tart is impressive because the spiralized squash cooks in just a few minutes before it is baked in the tart. Usually, squash takes much longer to cook, but because of the thin, even cut of the squash, it doesn’t take long to soften in a pan. If you don’t have a spiralizer, you could julienne or otherwise thinly cut the squash with a knife and proceed with the recipe. Don’t like goat cheese? Skip it or replace with another cheese of your liking.
Butternut Squash, Sage and Goat Cheese Tart
Prepared pie dough for a 10-inch pie
1/2 butternut squash, about 1 lb., peeled and halved crosswise
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 slices lean smoked bacon
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 oz. goat cheese, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 sage leaves
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until large enough to fit a 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom. (You could also use a regular pie pan.) Line the pan with the dough. Prick the base with a fork, cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and paper and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until golden.
Meanwhile, using a spiralizer fitted with a 1/8-inch spaghetti blade, spiralize the squash. You should end up with about 12 ounces spiralized squash.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the squash and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Arrange the squash mixture in the dough-lined pan and scatter with half of the goat cheese.
Beat together the cream and eggs in a bowl and then season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the butternut squash. Sprinkle with the remaining goat cheese and the sage leaves. Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling is set. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut the tart into slices and serve. Serves 6 to 8.
— From "Spiralize Now! 80 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Your Spiralizer" by Denise Smart (Weldon Owen, $19.95)
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