Vegetable Tart with Crispy Bacon

I feel a pang of guilt every time my blog is neglected...I feel bad that there are super bloggers out there who are somehow able to maintain a busy life while still cooking or visiting new restaurants...those bloggers are a joy to follow especially when I'm in need of something inspiring to read...but those bloggers make bloggers like me feel terrible!

Sigh...but I guess we all do the best we can...and that's the same with cooking. The food we cook...especially new recipes don't always turn out as perfect as imagined...I tend to be a perfectionist in the kitchen and I get quite upset when things don't work out...take this tart for example...I saw it on Apples and Butter's blog and was immediately inspired...I could see all sorts of flavours playing together on a light buttery puff pasty...and to tell you the truth it did turn out quite well and my dinner companions loved it...but there were a few glitches that irked me...for starters the crust was gorgeous but the centre was all soggy and didn't cook very well...and the bottom stuck to the pan so getting it out was quite a task...but all in all it was delicious if you could get past the aesthetics of it all! I did the best I could...

Vegetable Tart with Crispy Bacon

1 Handful sliced leek
1 Handful eggplant slices
1 Red pepper cubed
1 Handful fried bacon, chopped in pieces
1 Handful sliced mushrooms
2 T olive oil
1 Sheet puff pastry
1/2 Cup tomato sauce (I used a sauce with ricotta cheese, you can also choose to use pesto or any other spread to liven this up)
Egg wash
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200C. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and spread out on a roasting pan. Roast until beginning to soften and slightly brown on some edges (about 30 minutes). Leave the oven on at 200C.

Score the puff pastry with a pairing knife to create a 1 inch border. Spread the sauce of choice inside the border and use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash to the border area. Spread the roasted vegetables over the sauce, sprinkle the crispy bacon on and bake the tart for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.