If you’ve been to the south, or have friends or family from there, chances are good you’ve discovered summer’s best vegetable: the humble tomato. We love it any way and every way. A little sea salt, in a sandwich with toasted bread and mayo, and my personal favorite…the tomato pie.
This might not be the healthiest dish, but it’s guaranteed to be an instant hit at your picnic, brunch, or random Tuesday night dinner. It comes together in a flash and is instantly craveable.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 package of sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 a package of mild cheddar cheese
1/2 to 2/3 cups of Duke’s (only the best) mayonnaise
large, healthy handful of dill (about 1/4 cup chopped)
4 heirloom tomatoes (farmers’ market finds are perfect to use here)
deep-dish pie crust
1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder (depending on how much garlic you prefer)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
hefty shake of salt and pepper
Now, to pull this all together…
This is the time-consuming part. Slice your tomatoes into thin slices, then de-seed them. Now, you’ll want to line a plate or sheet pan with paper towels. You’re going to go through a handful of them, so be ready. Place a layer or de-seeded tomato slices on top of the paper towels, then layer with a double layer of paper towels. Rinse and repeat with all the tomato slices. The goal is to get the tomato slices as dry as possible. Otherwise, your tomato pie will be a soggy, wet mess.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Mix all of your ingredients, except for the tomato slices, into a separate bowl.
Now, it’s layer time. Here’s where everything comes together fast.
Layer your wet mixture first onto the pie shell, then a layer of tomatoes. Be sure and salt the tomatoes lightly. Also, save your prettiest slices for the very end. You’ll want those on top. After your layer of tomatoes, then layer your wet mixture, and so on until you’re out of layers. I usually end up with three layers of the wet mixture in total. You should end with the tomato slices…remember your best slices go on top.
Tear off pieces of aluminum foil to cover the crust so that it doesn’t burn. You can remove it for the last 10-15 minutes to get a nice color at the end.
Bake your pie for 40-45 minutes, then let it cool and set up for about 15-30 minutes before serving. Voila! Sit back with a Topo and enjoy. Cheers!
