Nothing says Southern Summer like an heirloom tomato pie. Or at least that’s what I assumed everyone thought. Turns out, so many people said “You’re making a PIE with TOMATOES?” or “I’m Southern born and raised and have never heard of a tomato pie!” So much for assuming, huh? So, yes. I was born in Washington, DC, grew up in a small, very Amish little town in Quarryville, PA until I was in high school and then we moved to the South. Just outside of Charlotte, to be exact. But farming, gardening and growing fresh fruits and vegetables have been a big deal in my life for as long as I can remember. We used drive home from the local pool (spring-filled = COLD!) in the summertime and stop by the Amish neighbor’s home for fresh basil that we’d go out in the fields to clip ourselves. We grew our own HUGE garden every summer and would set up a ‘Veggies 4 Sale’ stand (our red radio flyer wagon with a homemade sign taped to it) where my sisters and I would hock zucchini and yellow squash the size of your leg for 25 cents. My mom and her girlfriends would have canning parties – where us kids went deep into the corn fields to pick late summer corn by the bushel and we’d be in charge of shucking it for cooking and preserving. The same went for tomatoes and peaches, too. POUNDS AND POUNDS of summer produce made into JARS AND JARS of goodies we’d use all winter long. Using the best of seasonal produce in interesting ways just makes the most sense to me – which is why tomato pie is one of my favorites! Try it, you’ll be sad you didn’t know about it sooner.

The Ingredients List

• 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes (The uglier the outside, the prettier inside!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 4 tsp cornstarch (could also use flour or tapioca)
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (make sure to grate yourself)
• 3 scallions (or green onions)
• 2 store bough pie dough rounds

Instructions

1. slice your heirlooms tomatoes into quarter inch thick slices and lay on paper towels on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Sprinkle salt over tomatoes to drain as much liquid from them as possible (30 mins minimum)
2. mix together cheddar cheese, cornstarch, mayonnaise (You could ABSOLUTELY use your favorite brand of pimento cheese as a substitute here) Just make sure you have about 1 1/2 cups.
3. roll pie round into ungreased pie pan, work out any air bubbles. Don’t trim overhang, yet.
4. to squeeze as much liquid out of tomatoes, press slices with paper towels.
5. scoop 1/2 cup of cheese mixture into bottom of pie dough
6. layer 1/3 of the tomatoes on top
7. spread 1/2 cup of cheese mixture on top of tomatoes, sprinkle 1/3 of scallions on top.
8. repeat process, ending with tomatoes on top.
9. roll pie dough round on top, crimping edges together and cutting 4 large holes in top of dough for steam to escape. *I got as fancy as I could here 🙂
10. bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes and then lower heat to 325, baking for 55 minutes.
11. Tomato pie can be served room temp (although, I like it to be warm so the cheese is still ooey and gooey!)

Live Cooking Demo

The Cocktail

Moscow Mule

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 6 oz ginger beer (we used Reed’s Ginger Beer)
• handful of mint
• lime wedges

Instructions

1. muddle mint and lime at the bottom of your copper mug
2. add vodka and ice
3. top with ginger beer

Final Say

I’m all about convenience and using products you know you love, so if using a pre-made, store bought pimento cheese works for you in the recipe- go for it! We made two of these pies and on the second one, I added a handful of shredded gruyere cheese to the cheddar – it added such a great flavor! So experiment with any cheese you like! I will note: the longer the tomatoes can sit to extract excess moisture, the better – nothing worse than a soggy crust. Serve this tomato pie with a hearty green salad for brunch, lunch and/or dinner (truth be told – it tastes pretty damn delicious for breakfast, too) You already know heirlooms are my favorite tomatoes but no heirlooms? No problem – your favorite variety works in the recipe too. Any way you slice it (you see what I did there? slice. slice a pie….ok) this pie is sure to wow your friends and family – Southern or not.