#KitchenClearout recipe : Cherry Tomato, Bacon & Mushroom Tart

- What's for lunch, Mum?

- Not entirely sure yet, but it'll involve cherry tomatoes !

I love going to the farmers' market at the end of our road on a Sunday morning, just before it packs up, because that's when there are bargains to be had. Rather than pack up fruit and veg that will be way before its best the next day, they slash the prices and give you a crate of something that was the same price for a kilo minutes before. That was how I ended up with a glut of cherry tomatoes. Not a bad thing in itself, as the kids have been popping them in their mouths like sweets every time they walk through the kitchen ! I hate throwing things away though, so I had to come up with a plan to use some up. This was it, and it was a resounding success.

Cherry Tomato, Bacon & Mushroom Tart

ingredients :

a sheet of ready-made puff pastry

6 rashers of bacon

1 onion

4 mushrooms

3tbsp thick crème fraîche

a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes

a small scattering of grated cheese

Roll out the pastry and put it on baking parchment on a baking tray. To save time, I popped it in the oven to cook while I prepared the filling (or I should say topping).

Grill or dry fry the bacon and drain off the excess fat on kitchen paper.

In the bacon fat, or in a drizzle of olive oil if you prefer, gently fry the onions and mushrooms.

Drain off any excess fat or liquid then stir through the crème fraîche.

Take the pastry out of the oven.

Spread the mushroom mix over the top.

Use a pair of scissors to snip the bacon into large chunks and scatter over the top.

I didn't want the pastry to go soggy or the bacon to get too burnt so I decided to pre-cook the cherry tomatoes. I chopped some in half and left a few whole for extra texture and just heated them through for a few minutes in the pan I'd used for the mushrooms.

Spoon the tomatoes on top of the pastry.

Scatter over the cheese and pop back in the oven for ten minutes until the cheese melts. Cut into slices and serve hot or cold. It could be eaten on its own or with rice, mash or salad.

As this was designed to use up some of my glut of cherry tomatoes, as well as various odds and ends in the fridge, I'm adding it to this month's #KitchenClearout linky.