They say that necessity is the mother of invention and that
certainly turned out to be the case here. I have a bumper crop of tomatoes this
season, and decided I was going to make myself a tomato pie. I went to all of
the effort to make a crust, and then something went wrong during the blind
baking process. I carefully lined my crust with foil (like you do), and put my
pie weights on top, baking as I normally would. Only not quite so normally,
when I went to remove the foil and weights, the bottom of the crust came with
it; so much for that idea.
So, instead, I decided to treat my tomato pie as I would a
crustless quiche, and line the pan with softened butter and crumbs. It turned
out to be beautiful, incredibly delicious, and half of the calories I had
expected it to be.
Crustless Tomato Cheese Pie
3 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds), sliced ¼” thick
¾ t. kosher salt, divided
½ T. butter, room temperature
¼ c. Italian breadcrumbs
½ T. butter
½ c. chopped Melissa’s shallots
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, chives, etc.)
½ t. hot sauce
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place tomato slices on paper towels and sprinkle with ½ t. salt. Allow them to drain while oven is preheating. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and place tomato slices on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, checking occasionally, until they start to pucker.
While tomatoes are baking, butter a 9-inch pie pan with unsalted butter, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Rotate pan to ensure all greased areas are covered with the crumbs; set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add shallots and remaining ¼ t. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots have softened and are just starting to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Stir in cheese, herbs, hot sauce, and pepper until combined. Stir in cooled shallot mixture.
Arrange a layer of tomatoes on the bottom of your prepared pan. Top with half of the cheese mixture, spreading to cover. Repeat this process one more time, and then finish off with remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle Monterrey Jack cheese on top of pie.
Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
3 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds), sliced ¼” thick
¾ t. kosher salt, divided
½ T. butter, room temperature
¼ c. Italian breadcrumbs
½ T. butter
½ c. chopped Melissa’s shallots
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, chives, etc.)
½ t. hot sauce
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place tomato slices on paper towels and sprinkle with ½ t. salt. Allow them to drain while oven is preheating. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and place tomato slices on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, checking occasionally, until they start to pucker.
While tomatoes are baking, butter a 9-inch pie pan with unsalted butter, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Rotate pan to ensure all greased areas are covered with the crumbs; set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add shallots and remaining ¼ t. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots have softened and are just starting to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Stir in cheese, herbs, hot sauce, and pepper until combined. Stir in cooled shallot mixture.
Arrange a layer of tomatoes on the bottom of your prepared pan. Top with half of the cheese mixture, spreading to cover. Repeat this process one more time, and then finish off with remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle Monterrey Jack cheese on top of pie.
Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
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Very interesting idea. How do you eat it , with a knife and fork?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I normally do not eat pizza, I was craving it and had half a small pie the other day ( GF of course) Wish I had made this without the crust and saved the calories! Beautiful photo
Yes, with a knife and fork. You would eat it the way you would eat any quiche or tart. It’s a great way to use up those summer tomatoes. I’ll be making another one before the season is out.
ReplyDeleteSounds good Pattie! Sorry about the crust but sounds like it worked out just fine. I made a tomato cheese pie (with my beefsteaks, when I had a successful crop) a couple summers ago and it still ranks as one of the best things I've ever eaten. I didn't pre-bake the crust though, just baked it like a regular pie. A lot more calories though. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to try this again, Linda, with the crust, and a different recipe. When you made yours and didn’t pre-bake the crust, didn’t it come out a bit soggy? That was my fear. If not, then no more pre-baking for me!
ReplyDeleteI will be trying this - looks delish!!! THX!!
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think when you do, Patti.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound good and I think I have everything for it! Plus, I need a nice breakfast on Mondays - off I go to make one!
ReplyDeleteYum! Who needs crust!
ReplyDeleteJenna
Do you bake at 300 degrees or increase temp to 350??
ReplyDeleteThat’s a good question, Lisa. It’s been a couple of years since I made this, but the instructions don’t mention increasing the heat, so I’m guessing that I didn’t. I do understand why you would ask, however. There is no crust, so that would make a difference.
ReplyDelete