Cheesy Creole Tomato Pie Recipes

SOUTHERN TOMATO BASIL PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Prepare the pie crust by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl.
• Add the cold butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter (trust me, it's worth the couple of bucks), cut the fats into the flour mixture until it resembles small peas.
• Using a tablespoon, add a little water to the flour mixture at a time, using a fork to stir everything together until the dough just comes together. It should not be smooth and soft like cookie dough, but instead a little more flaky until you squeeze it together.
• Place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, shaping it into a ball.
• Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle.
• Place in a pie dish and trim any overhanging dough, leaving a good inch around the lip. Crimp this dough and prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella and place in a 450 degree F oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven to cool while you prepare the filling.
• Slice the tomatoes thin and place on a double layer of paper towels
• Lightly salt tomato slices and leave them for 10 minutes. The salt will pull out excess water which the paper towels will sop up so you don't have a wet pie.
• Combine 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Sprinkle tomato slices with the garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper to taste. Layer 1/3 of the tomato slices, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, and 1/3 of the basil. Repeat layers.
• In a small bowl combine remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup mayonnaise. Dot over the final layer of tomatoes.
• Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F and bake the pie uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Cool before serving.

TOMATO PIE

Steps:

• Arrange the tomato and onion slices in a single layer on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Line the crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges of the crust are just golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is dry and brown, another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Mix together the Cheddar, mozzarella and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
• Transfer the tomatoes and onions to a dry paper towel and pat dry. Liberally season the tomatoes with cracked black pepper. Arrange a third of the tomatoes in a single layer in the pie crust, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle a third of the basil over the tomatoes and top with a third of the onions. Repeat twice with the remaining tomatoes, basil and onions. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the top of the onions.
• Bake until the topping is golden brown and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely. Garnish with basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.

CHEESY VIDALIA ONION AND TOMATO PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface to fit a deep 9 or 10-inch pie pan. Place the pastry in the pie pan and crimp edges decoratively. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, then line with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove foil and pie weights, and return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Crack the egg in a small bowl, reserving yolk for the filling, separately. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork, then brush the surface of pie crust with a light coating of egg white and allow to cool.
• Slice the tomatoes, discarding the stem and root ends, into 1/4-inch slices and lightly season with the salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle about 1/3 of the bread crumbs in the bottom of the pie crust. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise with the reserved egg yolk and stir until smooth. Place a layer of tomatoes in the bottom of the piecrust over the breadcrumbs, using about half of the tomatoes, then top with half of the sliced onions. Drizzle with half of the mayonnaise mixture, half of the thyme and basil, half of the fontina and half of the mozzarella cheeses. Top with half of the remaining breadcrumbs then top with the remaining tomato slices, remaining onions, remaining fontina and mozzarella, remaining mayonnaise mixture, and remaining thyme and basil. Top with the remaining bread crumbs and drizzle with the olive oil. cover with the Parmesan cheese, place in the oven and bake until bubbly hot and golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• In the bowl of a food processor combine flour, Essence, salt, and butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While the motor is running, add water in increments until dough comes together to form a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a flat disc. Refrigerate overnight or at least one hour.
• Remove from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface to desired shape and thickness.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, Published by William Morrow, 1993.

CHEEKY PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the potato slices for 3 mins. Drain and cool.
• Butter a shallow ovenproof dish and spread over the garlic. Layer the potatoes, leeks and cheese, season well, then pour over the cream. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr.
• Remove the foil and continue cooking for 20 mins or until the top is browned and the potatoes are cooked through. Leave to stand for 5 mins before serving.