This dish is one of my summer-time favourites!
It combines the sweet and tartness of beautiful vine-ripened tomatoes topped with green and fresh basil, salty cheese, a creamy dressing, all enclosed in a biscuit crust. To die for.
I first had this dish about 9 years ago (woah!) and I immediately fell in love. It is really yummy and it complements the tomato season perfectly! However don't let the name confuse you like it first did me. This dish isn't a pie like you would find in the desert section. And it doesn't get served as a desert. Tomato "pie" refers to it's combination of flavors, all in one dish.
By the way, there is a secret ingredient which makes this pie amazing. White (or red) current Jelly! It is served along side the pie as a kind of dip/sauce, and it's sweet flavor contrasted with the salty and savory pie makes it. This is not an optional ingredient if you want to have it right.
Give this dish a try on a warm saturday evening with a light salad and perhaps some berries for desert. Oh, and eat it outside if you can manage it!
Ingredients:
Biscuit Crust
2 c flour
1 stick butter
4 tsp baking pdr.
3/4 c milk
Filling
2 lbs tomatoes, fresh and sliced or canned (drained well)
a handful of chopped basil and chives
1 1/2 c sharp cheddar, grated
Sauce
1/3 c light mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp pepper
Directions:
1. For the biscuit crust, mix ingredients by hand or in a food processor until well combined. Take half of the dough and roll out onto a floured work surface. Place into a 9" pie plate.
2. Add half of the tomatoes over the crust and scatter the chopped basil and scallions.
Top with 1 cup of sharp cheddar and the mayo sauce which has been thinned with lemon juice. Top this with the rest of the tomatoes and then cheddar.
3. Roll out the remaining dough and place over filling, pinching the edges to seal. Cut several steam vents in the top, and brush with an egg wash.
4. Cook at 400 for 25 minutes.
You can prepare this dish ahead of time and re-heat it before serving if you wish.
