Savory Tomato Cheddar Pie
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
35 mins
Total time
1 hour 5 mins
A buttermilk biscuit crust holds layers of freshly sliced tomatoes, cheddar and parmesan cheeses, and a creamy dill and scallion filling. This flavorful savory pie can be served for any meal of the day
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets
Recipe type: main, side
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup white whole wheat and 1 cup all purpose)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ¾ to 1 cup buttermilk
Filling:
- 2 pounds medium/large sized ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into ¼ inch slices
- 2½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (see note)
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill (see note)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ tablespoons cornmeal
Instructions
For crust:
- Whisk flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms and some small lumps remain (pieces of butter should be no bigger than a pea). Stir in ¾ cup buttermilk and knead gently with your hands until dough forms. The dough should be sticky and fairly moist. If you need to add a little more buttermilk, you can. Form the dough into a disc shape and lightly coat the outside with flour (this will prevent sticking when rolling it out). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
For filling:
- Lay tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with 2 layers of paper towels. Place another 2 layers of paper towels on top of tomatoes (this is to eliminate excess moisture from the tomatoes). Let stand for 30 minutes to drain.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to an 11 inch round. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Invert dough onto 9-inch glass or ceramic pie dish. Carefully peel off plastic wrap. Gently position the dough into the pan, crimping or folding over the excess dough around the top.
- Toss cheddar and parmesan cheeses in a medium bowl until evenly incorporated. Reserve a generous ¼ cup of cheese mixture. Whisk scallion, mayonnaise, yogurt, dill, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over bottom of crust, then top with ½ cup cheese. Arrange ⅓ of tomatoes over cheese, overlapping as needed. Spread/pour half of mayonnaise mixture (about ⅓ cup) over the tomatoes. Repeat layering with 1 cup of cheese mixture, half of the remaining tomato slices, and remaining mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese mixture over, then the remaining tomato slices. Sprinkle with reserved ¼ cup cheese mixture.
- Bake pie until crust is golden and cheese is golden brown, about 35 minutes. The outer crust will need to be covered with a pie shield or foil about halfway through cooking time so that it doesn't get too dark. Begin checking the crust after 15 minutes of baking and cover when necessary. After removing the pie from the oven place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 hour.
Notes
Using 2 tablespoons of fresh dill creates a rather strong flavor. If you would like the dill to be more subtle reduce to 1 tablespoon or swap the dill for chopped fresh basil.
If you're opposed to using mayo, I would guess that you could substitute an equal amount of softened cream cheese. I have not tried it that way.
Recipe adapted from Epicurious
If you're opposed to using mayo, I would guess that you could substitute an equal amount of softened cream cheese. I have not tried it that way.
Recipe adapted from Epicurious
