Time for Tomato Pie!

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It is time for a repost of one of my favorite recipes. Just need to savor what might be the last of the really great fresh tomatoes until next year. Thought you might need a nudge in that direction as well.

Opened the mail box to find a spectacular Tomato Pie on the cover of July issue of Southern Living.  Oh dear, need one now please! The only problem was we have started Keto and the crust is a big no! Now it is only a brush with Keto not a marriage at this point. We have commitment issues when it comes to diet interfering with good eating so something had to change and the pie crust used in the recipe was the winner in the had to change category. Man does not live by all-purpose flour and sugar alone and you have to pick your battles as I see it. Plus, it didn’t require a rolling pin..since moving I have not found my full size one. But I know it is here and refuse to buy a new one. What is the use of down sizing if you buy 2 (or 3) of everything?

I found  a Keto friendly crust on line so we are going with that ( eliminated the sugar and added parmesan cheese as a nod to the Southern Living recipe). Not too bad I must admit.

The filling itself was only changed a little.  Good tomatoes seem to be the hardest thing to find since moving to Florida. We had heard this but did not fully believe it. I mean wow, after all this is the sunshine state- where is all of the great produce I expected. Shipped elsewhere I guess.  Blamed it on buying ‘hot house tomatoes’ you know the ones. The skin is hard to cut and bland does not fully describe the taste.  We have found a little local meat market that carries a decent variety of vegetables and they are not hermetically sealed in shrink wrap( seems common around here) so you can actually smell them.  We were unable to find heirloom tomatoes so just went with the best looking and smelling ones.  Lucked out they were perfect  and very ‘meaty’.

If you prefer a more quiche like filling and are using a 9 x 13 pan as I did, I encourage you to double the filling. The 3# of tomatoes can remain the same that seemed perfect to us.  But a 9″ deep dish crust would work great.

Now I am new to the South but I do understand that each southern lady will probably have her own tomato pie recipe that has most been handed-off/ passed down for years. ( that is one of the things that I love about the South) I have not had that luxury , my Mom was not the worlds best cook and even she would tell you that. But boy she had her moments and I am still making those recipes. Thanks Mom!

Now this recipe sounds time consuming and a real pain. It isn’t as bad as it looks (I made it and after entering the recipe here, was wondering why . Some of the steps are completed while you do other things (like draining or roasting the tomatoes) so don’t be making that face. You know the one I mean. This is very make  ahead and refrigerates well.

But give this a try with a regular crust ( sprinkle with 3T grated  parmesan after blind baking) or with the Keto crust. Don’t think you will be disappointed. At least no one in this house complained in the least.

Tomato Pie with Keto Crust

The best tomato pie I have had in years

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Ingredients

  

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup coconut oil-melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3 lb tomatoes medium to large
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt divided
• 6 slices thick cut bacon
• 2 shallots large
• 2 tsp minces garlic
• 8 oz aged extra sharp cheddar Grated
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 egg
• 1/4 ts black pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Grease baking dish with spray oil.

  Combine first 5 ingredients until crumbly. Press into baking dish pressing up sides a little.

  Bake 10-15 minutes until just baked. DO NOT OVER BAKE.

  Remove from oven and cool.

  Raise oven to 400 degrees

  Cut all tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Place enough slices to cover top of casserole in single layer on paper towels and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Cover with another layer of paper towels and set aside.

  Arrange remaining tomato slices on a rack over a large sheet pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Until wilted and slightly dried out. Cool completely about 1 hour.

  Lower oven temp to 350 degrees

  Meanwhile, cook bacon in oven over medium-high heat until fat starts to render. 4-5 minutes. Add chopped shallots and cook until bacon is crispy and shallots are caramelized 6-7 minutes more. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Using slotted spoon transfer bacon mixture to paper towel on plate to drain and cool 20 minutes.

  Stir together cheese, mayonnaise, basil, chives, Dijon and egg until combined. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold in bacon mixture.

  Gently spread 1/3 of cheese mixture onto par-baked crust; layer with half of roasted tomatoes in a slightly overlapping pattern. Spread another third of the cheese mixture then repeat with roasted tomato layer. Layer the last of the cheese mixture. Then layer your reserved, drained fresh tomatoes. Gently press filling into crust.

  Bake in 350 oven until filling is set about 40 minutes, Remove from oven and place on rack to stand 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle with some fresh basil and chives to garnish

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