Southern Tomato Pie

Southern tomato pie, with flaky buttermilk crust, thinly sliced tomatoes, fresh herbs and cheese, is perfect as an entrée or appetizer.

Do you prefer thin crust or thick crust pizza?

I am of the school of thought that when it comes to pizza, the crust is the best part.  None of this namby-pamby thin crust. To me, that’s like eating pizza on a soggy saltine cracker.  No, it has to be thick and bready, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

I adapted this recipe using my own buttermilk biscuit recipe.  It’s so much easier than working with pizza dough, which I find to be infuriating to roll out at times.  While this pie is ideal for summer months when tomatoes are at their peak, I definitely see myself adapting this for use in other homemade pizza recipes.

Make the Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

I have an entire post dedicated to making my buttermilk biscuits. If you’re interested in reading all the flaky details, head over there. This is just a basic rundown.

In a large bowl, combine two cups of all-purpose flour, one tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, two teaspoons of baking powder and one teaspoon of salt. Grate ½ cup (1 stick) of cold unsalted butter. Add the butter and stir it’s mixed evenly throughout the flour. Add three-quarters of a cup of cold buttermilk and stir until dough comes together and begins to leave the side of the bowl. Add additional milk if necessary if the dough seems to dry.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Lightly knead 10 times. Pat the dough into a 5-inch round. Then, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into round measuring at least 13-inches wide and about ½-inch thick.

Blind Bake the Crust

In order to achieve a crust that’s flaky and not soggy, we’re going to prebake, or blind bake, our crust. First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Carefully transfer your crust to a 9-inch pie plate or quiche pan. The easiest way I’ve found to do this without tearing the dough is to make sure the dough is coated with a thin layer of flour, then carefully fold it into quarters.

Lay the quartered dough at one corner of the pan, with the point in the center. Gently unfold the dough until it’s completely draping the dish. Then pat the dough down into the dish with your fingertips. Use scissors or a rolling pin to trim off any excess.

Using the tines of a fork, prick about a dozen holes into the bottom of the crust. This will prevent any bubbles from forming in the crust as it’s baking. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the crust is just starting to turn brown.

Dry the Tomatoes

While the crust is baking, let’s start making our filling. Thinly slice 1-2 medium tomatoes. I like Roma tomatoes because they have less juice. Lay the tomatoes down on a layer of paper towels. Blot the tops with additional paper towels. Since tomatoes are very watery, we want to remove as much water as we can to prevent it from soaking into our crust. Allow the tomatoes to dry on the paper towels while you mix together the herb-cheese topping

Make the Herb Cheese Topping

In a small mixing bowl combine 2/3 cup of shredded Swiss cheese, 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, 1/3 cup of finely chopped herbs such as basil, parsley, and oregano, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir the mixture together until all the ingredients are evenly combined. Set the bowl aside.

Assemble the Pie

Once the biscuit crust is finished baking, remove it from the oven. Spread the herb cheese mixture over the top of the biscuit crust. Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are heated through and the cheese is melted. Cut into slices and serve warm.

Storage, Freezing and Reheating

Storage: Once the pie is completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap or store slices in a large plastic freezer bad. Consume withing four days.

Freezing: Baked Southern tomato pie can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap the pie in a coupe layers of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Allow the pie to thaw before baking

Reheating: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the pie is heated through and toasted.

Serve Southern Tomato Pie Alongside:

• Roasted Corn Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
• Asian Cucumber Salad