It’s hard to imagine a better use of late-summer tomatoes than this luscious and colorful tomato pie. Angie Prather found a version of this recipe in a magazine last year and has been delighting friends and family with it ever since. The only changes she makes are to leave out the thyme – “I’m a basil purist” – and reduce the volume of tomatoes to two pounds.
“I was thrilled to find this recipe,” she said. “I tasted a basil quiche at a little bakery in Salida, Co., about 10 years ago. Ever since then I’ve tried to duplicate the recipe, but I just couldn’t ever get it right. This recipe is pretty darn close.”
Prather, who is vice president of marketing and communications for the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, notes that a regular pie pan works as well as a cast-iron. She has also made individual pies using a muffin tin.
Classic Tomato Pie
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 store-bought or homemade pie crust
2 ½ lbs. tomatoes, sliced ¼ thick, seeds removed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
Garnish: chopped fresh thyme and basil
Directions:
Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Crimp as desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place tomato slices on paper towels; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together cheeses, mayonnaise, egg, basil, thyme, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
Sprinkle red onion over prepared crust; top with one-third of cheese mixture. Layer half of tomatoes in an overlapping pattern; top with one-third of cheese mixture. Repeat with remaining tomatoes and remaining cheese mixture.
Bake until golden brown and center is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Garnish with basil and thyme, if desired.
