If you're a native Southerner, or a transplanted Southerner, you've either baked, eaten, or heard of a tomato pie. A staple of Summer dinner tables, the combination of vine ripened tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise melds together to become an ooey gooey pie plate full of goodness.
Cookbook author Melissa Clark in her book Dinner in French: My Recipes By Way of France, elevates our American Southern favorite to a French favorite. Mayonnaise is combined with creme fraiche and the cheddar is replaced with creamy and nutty flavored Gruyère.
Yes, this recipe takes some time to prepare. But....the time taken to roast the tomatoes and to caramelize the onions is a game changer.
This one is impressive enough for company. I should know, it wowed my guests at our Bastille Day dinner last night!
For the Crust:
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ t. kosher salt
pinch of sugar
8 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup ice water
For the filling:
1 large or 2 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
¾ t. kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 t. fresh thyme leaves
1 T. unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
4 oz Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
1/3 cup (3 oz.) creme fraiche
1/3 cup plus 2 T. (2 oz.) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/3 cup (3 oz.) mayonnaise
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
For the crust:
Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture either with your hands or a pastry cutter until it is the texture of wet sand and the largest butter piece is about the size of a pea. Slowly pour in the ice water, a few tbsp at a time, and mixing with your hands after each addition, just until the dough comes together. Pat the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round. Fit the dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges as desired. Use a fork to poke holes all around the bottom and sides of the dough. Chill for 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
When ready to bake, heat oven to 425 F.
Grease a piece of foil and use it to line the chilled pie crust, greased side down. Top with pie weights to completely fill the foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift off the foil and pie weights. Return to the oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until just baked through and starting to turn golden on the edges. Allow to cool to room temperature.
For the filling:
While the pie crust cools, heat oven to 500 F.
Sprinkle the tomato slices with ¼ t. of the salt and place on a a colander in the sink to drain.
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the filling. In a medium bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with 2 T. of oil, the thyme, and ½ t. salt. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 12-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are caramelized.
While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the sliced onion along with ap inch of salt. Cook until the until is lightly browned, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape the mixture into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, gruyere, creme fraiche, ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
Add the roasted cherry tomatoes into the bowl with the onion mixture along with the basil. Toss until combined. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, then pour into the par-baked pie crust. Top with the cheese mixture. Pat the tomato slices dry and then place them on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. of parmesan cheese.
Decrease the oven temperature to 375 F. Bake the pie for 30 minutes, or until the filling is golden. Allow to cool slightly then serve warm or at room temperature.
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