Tomato pie, a Southern summer staple, is usually made in a pie shell. That base is then filled with a layer of tomatoes buried under a topping of mayonnaise and cheese. Here, we mix it up a bit! We use a thinner flakier puff pastry for the base. From there, the recipe is more familiar. First comes the mayo and cheese mixture, and then the star ingredient: tomatoes in several beautiful shapes and colors. You will want the highest quality vine-ripened tomatoes for this, from a farm stand, farmers market, or your own.
The Best Tomato Pie?
When musician Stephen Sills told us to “love the one you’re with,” he probably wasn’t talking about summer pomodori or a pie made from them. But perhaps he should have been! We think the best summer tomato is the one in front of you, perfectly ripe and ready to slice and bake into a lovely pastry. And the best pie, combining a wonderful, buttery crust topped with cheese and tomato, and dashes of pepper and sprigs of thyme, is a treat that will linger in your memory well into the chillier seasons. Yum!
Print
Tomato Pie
- Yield: Serves 6
Description
A savory tomato pie is just what you need at your summer picnic.
Ingredients
- 2 lb tomatoes of various colors, sizes, and shapes
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, preferably an all-butter version such as DuFour
- 4 oz (about 1 cup) grated mild cheddar cheese
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Flaky salt and coarse-ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves or sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice tomatoes a little under ½ inch in thickness. Transfer slices to a couple of layers of paper towels to drain.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet on a floured surface into a rectangle about 8 X 11 inches. Transfer the pastry to the baking sheet. Turn up each side of the rectangle by about ½-inch to make a raised edge for the pie. Using a fork, dock (poke holes in it) the pastry every inch or so, which will help the pastry stay flat in its initial baking.
- Par-bake the pastry for 12 to 14 minutes until it has begun to color and rise a bit.
- While the pastry par-bakes, mix together in a medium bowl the cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard.
- Remove the pastry crust from the oven. Spoon the cheese-mayonnaise mixture over it, smoothing it evenly. Top with as many tomato slices as will fit, arranged in a pattern that pleases you.
- Return the pie to the oven and continue baking 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry crust is nicely browned and crisp. Slide the pie off the baking sheet and onto a baking rack to cool briefly. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares or wedges.
Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison
Styling by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition.
