tomato pie is delicious


First of all. I recognize that this just looks like a pile of melted cheese. But - it isn't. It is so much more than that. It is a tomato pie. Tomato Pie has been sitting on my kitchen to-do list for about a month. Pretty much ever since the moment I knew it existed. After all the times I've googled "what to do with all the tomatoes"... it was pretty shocking to me that I didn't know this concept existed. To be clear, the concept is not complex. It's tomatoes in a pie crust plus some bonus item... but man, it is good. Maybe not the healthiest meal, but damn good.

There are a few things to know about tomato pie but essentially it is very easy. It becomes even easier when you don't make the pie crust. While I would normally like to be one of those people that makes their own pie crust, sometimes it just isn't worth it for an experiment.

  • pie crust // just buy it. don't make life harder here.
  • salty // it is very easy for this dish to get salty between the bacon and the tomatoes. I was a little more liberal with the salted tomatoes than I would be the next time. It's not the end of the world but just something to keep in mind.
  • crust // don't get on your high horse about how mayo is gross and you don't want it on the topping. If you are that worried about it, just try to cut back the amount and maybe mix in some bread crumbs or something to give it structure. The crust is so incredible.
I followed the original Food52 recipe pretty closely but have made some modifications to the process order below. While the recipe is simple, there is a lot of "do this quick thing and then wait a bit". So, a slightly adjusted order will help with speeding this whole show along.

Enjoy!
  1. Slice the tomatoes and place them on a large cooling rack covered with paper towels. VERY lightly sprinkle the slices with kosher salt to help pull moisture from them, and cover them with another layer of paper towels. Let them sit like this for at least an hour.
  2. To blind bake the shell: Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Stab the crust with a fork all over and line the pastry shell with parchment paper. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the surface under the paper looks light brown. Remove the paper and return the shell to the oven for another 5 minutes or so, until drier and a more golden brown. Remove the shell to a rack, and let cool completely before proceeding with baking your pie.
  3. In a skillet, cook the chopped up bacon until it is just about crisp then add in the diced onion. Sauté until golden brown. Mix mayonnaise, grated cheese and oregano in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Set oven temp to 350°F. Assemble the pie by roughly chopping the tomato slices and spreading the pieces evenly into the pie shell. Generously cover the top with freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with the onions and bacon, and, finally, top with the mayo-cheese mix. Place the pie in the oven and bake for about 1/2 hour, or until the top is nicely browned and the pie is bubbling. Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool for at least 1/2 hour before cutting and serving.
Shopping List
Pie Crust
4-5 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced and blotted dry
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded, sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 large, sweet onion, sauteed
1/2 pound thick cut bacon, cut into lardons, and cooked till crisp
1 teaspoon dried oregano

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