The Veggie Spiral Slicer Cookbook (20 page)

2.
   
Press the crust mix into a 9-inch pie pan—glass works best. You want the bottom and sides to be 1/8-inch thick. Make sure to press the crust out all the way up the sides of the pan. Place the crust in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

3.
   
While you wait on the crust to set, place the cashews and agave in the food processor and process until it becomes smooth and resembles custard.

4.
   
Toss the apple or pear noodles with the vanilla, lemon juice, and cinnamon.

5.
   
To assemble, remove the crust from the freezer and spread the cashew custard evenly over the bottom of the pie. Gently press in the apple or pear noodles on top of the custard, and if so desired, drizzle with a hint of agave. Store in the refrigerator.

Pear Bread Pudding with Bourbon Whipped Cream

This dessert sounds a lot more decadent than it actually is. Bread pudding often walks a fine line between dried out and custard. This dessert will only be as good as your pears are. By taking care to use very ripe pears, you can get away with using less fat. The juice from the fruit will keep this cake nice and moist. I substituted a traditional bourbon caramel sauce for a spiked whipped cream, which cuts both fat and sugar! If you’re not calorie counting, this bread pudding is great as a breakfast the following morning, sliced and pan-fried like French toast. Just don’t tell your dietitian.

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

For the bread pudding:

      
5 eggs

      
1/2 cup brown sugar

      
1 to 1-1/2 cups milk

      
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

      
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

      
1/4 teaspoon salt

      
3 very ripe pears, skins on, spiralized on blade 2

      
4 cups 1-inch bread cubes (minimum 1-day-old sandwich or artisanal plain breads)

      
3/4 cup golden raisins

For the spiked whip cream:

      
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

      
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

      
1-1/2 tablespoons high-quality bourbon, chilled

1.
   
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish.

2.
   
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. Whisk until the mixture begins to lighten.

3.
   
Add the pears, bread cubes, and raisins. Stir a few times to make sure everything is coated in the egg mixture. You do not want to stir too much, though, as the pear noodles are fragile.

4.
   
Gently press all of the ingredients into the prepared casserole dish.

5.
   
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard has gone from liquid to set. Allow the bread pudding to cool for at least 10 minutes.

6.
   
While the bread pudding cools, make the whipped cream. Using a large bowl and a whisk, whisk the chilled heavy cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the sugar over the whipped cream and continue to whisk until the peaks become stiff. Gently fold in the bourbon.

7.
   
Serve the bread pudding either warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream.

NOTE:
Warm bread pudding will melt the whipped cream so you can serve the whipped cream on the side if serving the bread pudding warm.

Sticky Rice with Honeyed Mango

The ability to make rice-free “rice” is one of my favorite tricks of the spiralizer and one of my favorite things to do with rice is make sticky rice. Mangos are notoriously annoying to cut and peel and difficult to find perfectly ripe when you want it most. This is why I like to have frozen mangos on hand at all times.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

For the honeyed mango:

      
2 cups frozen mango chunks

      
2 tablespoons honey

      
juice and zest of 1/2 orange

For the sticky rice:

      
1 yellow plantain, sliced on blade 3, then riced

      
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

      
3 tablespoons sugar

      
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.
   
In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the honeyed mango. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Set aside and rinse the sauce pan.

2.
   
In the saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the sticky rice. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently once the milk has thickened and reduced. The rice should get so sticky that when stirred, the pudding does not immediately flood the bottom of the pan.

3.
   
Serve layered with the honeyed mango on top of the sticky rice, warm or at room temperature.

Conclusion

The spiral slicer is a tool that is here to stay. With this book I hope that I have shown you more uses than you ever imagined. But don’t stop here! Experiment with flavors that you know and love. Try and vegetize your favorite pastas, fruit-based baked goods, or salads. This wonder tool helps us remove fat and simple carbohydrates from our meals while adding texture, color, and fun! Stay hungry, stay healthy, stay happy, and never stop exploring.

—Kelsey Kinser

Conversion Charts

Volume Conversions

Weight Conversions

Temperature Conversions

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my patient mother for helping me to test these recipes and my wonderful boyfriend for eating all of them.

About the Author

Kelsey Kinser
is a classically French–trained pastry chef and cookbook author who lives and works in New York City. After a couple years of working in fine dining restaurants in New York, she left the United States to spend a year traveling through Europe learning how to cook regional specialties. When not working she likes to make and can jam and spend too much time on the internet.