Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Tomato Pie

Perfect Pairing:  Pressed pie crust
IMG_7256

How can it be September 6th?  Where did the summer go?  I had a lot of summer activities I still wanted to accomplish.  It is so funny how everyone’s attitudes switch after Labor Day.  Even the weather automatically has a crisp feel to it and I swear I saw the leaves change just a little bit overnight.  The clothes are warmer and everyone is in the mood to watch football, even if they don’t usually care about football.
This tomato pie is great recipe for the transition between seasons.  It has the summer flavors of tomatoes and basil but also feels like autumn comfort food.  I have made this recipe twice and both times it got rave reviews.  It is a savory pie filled with tomato, basil, onions and cheese.  I originally made it as an appetizer but decided it would be great for a breakfast or brunch item.   It is even better the day after you make it.  This recipe is really versatile and can be adapted to use what you have on hand.  You can substitute caramelized onions for the raw red onions and use any kind of cheese that you like.  I have used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar and gruyere and cheddar.  I like the look of using two different colors of cheese.
 
The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is actually a recipe for a pie crust.  I am sure you could use a store-bought crust, but why would you do that when you can make one so easily and inexpensively?  Plus, it tastes so much better than the store-bought version.  My mom and I use this recipe all the time for any kind of pie and it always comes out perfectly.  You do it all in the pie plate so there is no rolling pin or mess involved!  Here is how it happens.
Measure your flour, sugar and salt into a pie plate and mix with a fork.

Make an emulsion of vegetable oil and milk in a separate dish using a fork or whisk to combine.

Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir it up with the fork until there are no dry areas.



Press out the crust to even thickness around the plate and crimp the edges.
Pre-bake or use raw.   You will love this recipe for pie crust!

Tomato Pie
Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
·         1 baked pie crust (recipe below)
·         ½ small or medium red onion, chopped
·         4 to 5 tomatoes
·         10 basil leaves, sliced
·         2 cups grated cheese (any combination of mozzarella, cheddar, gruyere, etc.)
·         ¾ cup mayonnaise
·         Hot sauce, to taste
·         Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place chopped onions in the bottom of the cooled pie crust.  Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out as much of the juice and seeds as possible.  Roughly chop and remove any excess moisture using paper towels.  Cover onions with chopped tomatoes and slivered basil.
Combine the grated cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Once combined, spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.  Bake the pie for 25-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Pressed Pie Crust
Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing
Ingredients:
·         1½ cups flour
·         ½ tsp salt
·         1 tsp sugar
·         ½ cups vegetable oil
·         3 Tb milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Into a 9” pie plate measure flour, salt and sugar. Mix ingredients with a fork. In a measuring cup, make an emulsion of the oil and milk by beating with a fork. Pour the emulsion over the dry ingredients and toss until all of the flour is moistened. Press into the pie plate with fingers.  Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
**For a pudding pie bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Otherwise, use as you would a raw pie pastry.

5 comments:

  1. I swear by your Moms Pie Crust Recipe. It's all I ever use now.
    Good Luck Lindsay!
    Deanna Johannes

    ReplyDelete
  2. This Tomato Pie is delicious, I mean really, really good! Thanks for sharing this recipe for the pie and the pie crust. I won't ever roll out a crust again. I say "Two thumbs up!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lindsay, I made this pie crust for an apple pie this weekend. It turned out perfect and tasted wonderful. My family was impressed. Thanks so much for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the idea of a pressed crust!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lindsay, my mom has used this pressed pie crust recipe for years and it is my go-to for my crusts (and sooo easy with no mess :-) ). This pie crust recipe is also wonderful for baking w children

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...