Fresh Tomato Pie

November 08, 2017


Sounds a bit crazy doesn't it? Tomatoes in a pie? I raised my eyebrows the first time this pie was placed before me. Until I tasted it; then I proceeded to eat three slices!

Fresh Tomato Pie

With all the cheese and flaky buttery crust you won't find this pie on any diet plans. But after you taste this I'm sure you'll agree with me. Its worth every calorie!

The key to making this pie glorious is using ripe, garden fresh tomatoes.

garden fresh tomatoes

It all starts with a great pie crust.

pie crust

First important step: pre-baking (called blind baking) your pie crust! My favorite method is to cover your pie crust with two layers of tinfoil, then fill with baking weights (or beans or rice). I'd go for slightly over on this bake. There is a lot of juice in those tomatoes working against a nice crispy crust!
Blind baking you pie crust

While your crust is baking prep those tomatoes! Line two rimmed baking sheets with paper towels and sprinkle liberally with some salt. Then lay all your tomato slices out, sprinkle with some more salt, and top them off with another layer of paper towels. Let them sit for at least 15 minutes. Moisture is our enemy when it comes to making crispy pies!  


Once your pie crust is out of the oven you are ready to assemble your pie! Start with a layer of tomatoes about 1-2 slices thick. Then sprinkle on half your onions and basil. 


Continue with another layer of each. Then spoon your cheese mixture over the top, smooth it out, and cover the top with a nice even sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Mmmmm! Calories! 


Pop that beauty in the oven and bake until the topping is melted and golden brown. If you can resist the heavenly smell filling your kitchen allow your pie to cool to almost room temperature  before slicing. Enjoy! 

Fresh tomato pie

Fresh Tomato Pie
By Brilliant Blonde
Pie crust adapted from “Food From my Frontier” by Ree Drummond
Tomato pie recipe adapted from  Tastes Better from Scratch

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Ingredients

Pie crust
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ TBS sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into cubes
  • 2TBS ice water
Pie filling
  • 10 or more fresh tomatoes (enough to cover about one and a half sheet pans with tomato slices)
  • 10 fresh basil leaves , chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions

1.       Put a few ice cubes and some cold water into a small bowl.

2.       Mix 1 cup flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processer.

3.       Add butter and incorporate into the flour with a pastry cutter or pulse until the mixture looks like large crumbs. Add the additional ¼ cup flour and mix or pulse a few times.

4.       If using a food processer dump into a bowl and sprinkle the dough with water. Mix until the dough clumps together, adding more water sparingly as needed.

5.       Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (can store in the fridge for up to one week until ready to use)

6.       While the pie dough chills prep your tomatoes. Line two rimmed baking sheets with paper towels. Sprinkle the towels with some salt. Slice tomatoes about ¼ inch thick and lay them out on the paper towels. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and cover with another layer of paper towels.

7.       Preheat oven to 400F. Let dough rest on countertop 10 minutes before turning it onto a floured surface and rolling it into a 12 inch disk. Gently roll the dough onto your rolling pin and transfer to a 9 inch pie plate. Trim dough to the size of the pie plate with a ½ inch overhang. Crimp Dough around the edge with your fingers.

8.       Place two sheets of aluminum foil over the pie crust and fill with baking weights, dry beans, or rice.

9.       Bake pie crust for 15 minutes until it starts to look “dry” (Looks mostly baked but has no color yet). Remove foil and weights and return to the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up. Once you take your crust out, reduce oven temp to 350F.

10.   Mix two cheeses and mayonnaise in a bowl. Put a layer of tomatoes about 2 slices thick in the bottom of your pie shell. Sprinkle half the onions and basil of top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add another layer of tomatoes and top with remaining onions, basil, salt, and pepper.

11.   Spoon your cheese mixture on top. Smooth cheese into an even layer and sprinkle with parmesan.

12.   Bake pie until the top is golden brown and crispy, about 30-40minutes. Let pie cool to room temp before slicing.

NOTE: You may want to cover your pie crust edge with a ring of foil so it doesn’t get to brown and dry like mine did here.
 

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