Bacon Tart with Pumpkin and Maple

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220C/425F.
2. Spray a baking tray with olive oil (or grease with butter or oil)
3. Cook Pumpkin either by roasting or microwaving it (see instructions below). Transfer to a large bowl (cools faster) and add butter plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until the pumpkin is smooth and set aside.
4. Cut puff pastry in half (Note 3). Place one piece on top of the other. Place the double layered pastry on the baking tray.
5. Cover pastry with a sheet of baking (parchment) paper (not weighed down, just place it on top of the pastry). Bake for 15 minutes until it has puffed up a bit and it is a very light golden brown.
6. While the pastry is pre-baking, trim the bacon so it is wider than the width of the tart by approximately 1.5cm / 1/2" (Note 4).
7. Remove the pastry from the oven and discard baking paper.
8. Working quickly, spread the pumpkin on the pastry, leaving a 1cm / 1/4" border.
9. Place the bacon on the tart, overlapping each slice. The 8 slices should cover the whole tart.
10. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until deep golden.
11. Remove from the oven and brush half the maple syrup on the bacon and the pastry border.
12. Place the tart back in the oven for a further 7 to 10 minutes, until the bacon and pastry is a deep, dark golden brown. (Note 5)
13. Remove from oven and brush with remaining maple syrup. Season with pepper if desired.
14. Serve with a light side salad. This tart reheats well in the oven and keeps for 2 days in the fridge, but it is best served fresh out of the oven.
15. Roasting: Toss pumpkin in olive oil and roast for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, then proceed with recipe directions.
16. Microwaving: Place pumpkin in a microwave proof bowl (or steamer) with a splash of water. Cover with lid or cling wrap (pierce with a fork a few times if using cling wrap) then microwave on high for 8 minutes. Drain water before use, then proceed with recipe directions.