Pumpkin, smoky bacon and sage tartlets

1.Preheat oven to 190°C fan forced.

2.Roll pastry thinly on a lightly floured board, to about the size of a baking sheet (39cm x 32cm). Cut into rounds with a 6cm cookie cutter. Gently press pastry rounds into tartlet trays, prick all over with a fork, then chill.

3.Line pastry rounds with foil and weight with baking beans. Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Lift off foil and beans, gently remove pastry cases from tray and transfer to a cooling rack (slip off baking paper lining, if using). Gently tap down the centre of each case to make room for the filling. Leave to cool. You will probably need to cook these in batches; reserve baking paper and tin foil from the first batch and re-use. Please note: the cases are best served warm, and can be reheated in a moderate oven for a few minutes before serving.

4.To make the filling, cut pumpkin into chunks, removing skin and seeds. Steam until tender then transfer to a tray to cool (if you don’t have a steamer, cook in gently bubbling water until just tender, then drain). Sprinkle with salt.

5.Put shallot and garlic in a small saucepan with the ½ Tbsp butter. Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until tender and lightly golden. Transfer to a bowl. Finely grate the zest of the lemon and add to bowl with the ½ tsp salt and nutmeg to taste. Add cooled pumpkin and amaretti, if using. Mash or whiz to a pur­ée with a stick blender.

6.Fry bacon in a dot or two of butter until golden then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Add sage leaves to pan and cook briefly until they darken in colour. Carefully transfer to a side plate (they easily disintegrate). Snip bacon into small pieces.

7.Spoon pumpkin into warmed tartlet cases, squeeze over a little lemon juice and top with fried bacon and sage leaves. If liked, dust with a little smoked paprika and serve immediately.