Cheesy tomato pie the perfect showcase for your garden’s bounty

I don’t know about you, but I have had a bumper crop of tomatoes from my garden this year and have tried to be as creative as possible in using or preserving them so that none go to waste. So when a good friend told me about a tomato pie she had eaten while visiting another friend, she immediately had my attention.

I remember being in a small restaurant in Beaufort, South Carolina, and seeing an entire section of a display case devoted to tomato pies. They served them in the restaurant, but they were also for sale. In the time it took me to eat lunch, I saw several people enter the store for the sole purpose of purchasing them. Unfortunately, no pies went home with me, but I have always wondered what I had missed.

This time my friend shared the recipe she had eaten containing a layer of sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, and scallions, all topped with a mixture of cheeses held together with some mayonnaise. There were parts of the recipe that reminded me of a tomato tart recipe I shared with you back in September of 2019, but it was different enough that I had to try it.

The original recipe called for a straightforward crust without any seasoning. Easy enough, but one of my favorite parts of the tomato tart above was the crust. It was the exact same recipe as a plain crust, but with an added teaspoon of dried thyme and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, resulting in a crust so delicious I have thought of using it to make homemade crackers. The decision to use the enhanced crust was an easy one for me.

The tomatoes turned out to be the tricky part. Mine were large and very juicy, resulting in a soggy crust and about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pie, even after salting and draining them as instructed. The easy remedy would be to use a variety of tomato with less moisture, like a Roma or plum tomato. But I was determined to use what I had on hand, which were similar to a beefsteak variety.

So I placed ½-inch slices of tomatoes on a baking sheet, sprinkled them liberally with salt and placed them in a 400° oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.

My goal was for the moisture in the tomato to evaporate and the tops to start to look dried out. My attempt seemed to work, but the slices did lose some of their structure. This didn’t hurt the recipe at all, but did require careful moving of the roasted and cooled tomatoes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. This is where they would stay until I was ready to use them.

Because I cannot leave well enough alone, I searched the internet for other tomato pie recipes, looking for other variations and written reviews, and the recipe I’m sharing is a mash-up of several, including the original shared by my friend.

I made the recipe four times trying to perfect the tomato issue and have served it to different groups of friends. Every time, those who ate it said the same thing, “I was not sure how a tomato pie would taste, but it is delicious!” I hope your friends and family have the same reaction.

Celebrating Jacques Pepin

When I think of Jacques Pepin, I envision him in the kitchen with Julia Child hosting their award-winning television series “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.”

But he is much more than just a television host. He is the author of more than 30 cookbooks, a culinary educator, artist and philanthropist who started the Jacques Pepin Foundation (JPF) that supports community-based kitchens offering culinary training to adults with high barriers to employment.

In December, Pepin will be celebrating his 90th birthday, and JPF is commemorating this milestone by launching its 90/90 Dinner Series, hosted by both restaurants and home cooks.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, I will join former Daily Herald Food Editor Deb Pankey, two-time Cook of the Week finalist Mark Clemens, and 2012 Daily Herald Cook of the Year Michael Pennisi — all home cooks — to prepare a Jacques Pepin-inspired five-course meal, complete with wine pairings, and we’d like to invite you to join us.

We have collaborated with John and Mica Mahler at Cook, Cork and Fork in Palatine. We will be cooking in their beautiful kitchen, supported by their staff and serving what we believe will be a wonderful meal Jacques himself would enjoy. Cook, Cork and Fork will donate proceeds from the event to the foundation.

On the menu will be baked French onion soup; a beet, walnut and arugula salad with honey balsamic; baked cod with a calamata and tomato tapenade; braised short ribs with Brussels sprouts; and an apple frangipane tart with a caramel drizzle. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets for the dinner are $150 and can be purchased at CookCorkandFork.com. There will be a raffle as well, with prizes including a signed Jacques Pepin cookbook and print painted by the chef himself. Please consider joining us to support a worthy cause, celebrate Jacques Pepin’s birthday and enjoy great food and wine.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

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Tomato Pie

For the crust:

1¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon Dijon, or whole grain, style mustard

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the pie

1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, separated

2 pounds sliced ripe tomatoes*

⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup thinly sliced green onions or chives

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¾ cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

9-inch pie pan

Make the crust: Combine flour, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add butter pieces and mix together with a pastry cutter, fingertips or food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in mustard and enough ice water (1 tablespoon at a time) so the mixture holds together but is not wet. Form the dough into a disc. Cover in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Prepare tomatoes: Place ½-inch thick liberally salted tomato slices on a baking sheet into a preheated 400°F oven for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. You are looking for the exposed surface to appear a little dry but not so dry that it resembles a sun-dried tomato. Remove the tray from the oven and allow it to cool a bit. Then, line another baking sheet with paper towels and transfer tomatoes to this pan, allowing them to cool completely and drain any extra moisture. This can be done a day or two ahead. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Bake crust: Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, or between two pieces of plastic wrap, roll out dough to form a 12" circle, about ⅛-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pan, pressing pastry into bottom and sides. Trim pastry edges to top of pan and prick bottom of crust with a fork. Place unbaked crust in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up prior to baking. “Crumple” a 15-inch square of parchment to eliminate sharp edges and line crust; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust 15 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment; bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and sprinkle ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese over bottom and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and either set aside until ready to use or fill immediately.

Assemble pie: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pan containing crust on baking sheet. Place tomatoes in pan in two layers. Top with green onions and basil. Combine remaining cheese and mayonnaise in small bowl and spread on top of pie.

Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake 40 minutes. Allow pie to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Pie is good warm, or at room temperature, and can be served as either a main course or side dish. It is easier to serve after cooling at least 20 minutes.

*Note: If you are using a variety of tomato that contains a lot of moisture (such as those you might slice for a sandwich), it is important to roast the tomatoes first. If you don’t, the result will be a soggy crust and too much liquid in the filling. Roasting did cause my slices to lose some of their shape, but I still scooped the roasted flesh into the pie crust. The result was a more intense tomato flavor and no pool of water in the bottom of the pie. However, if you are using a tomato variety with less liquid and firmer flesh such as Roma or plum, this step is not necessary, though you should still remove some of the liquid inside the tomato before adding it to the crust.

Serves 6 to 8

— Penny Kazmier