Back in the 1940s when tomatoes were at the height of their growing season, California restaurants served fresh tomato pie. They were made using a traditional pie crust and were filled with fresh juicy slices of tomatoes and topped with a creamy cheese sauce. People raved about these pies and would drive long distances just to get a slice of pie! And wouldn't you know? This fabulous tomato pie was the precursor to one of our most popular dishes, the Pizza Pie.
Here is my rendition, a long time family favorite.
For optimum flavor, I prepare a homemade crust, but if you’re crunched for time, buy a good frozen 9-inch pie shell. Wholly Wholesome makes a great tasting pie crust.
Here is my rendition, a long time family favorite.
For optimum flavor, I prepare a homemade crust, but if you’re crunched for time, buy a good frozen 9-inch pie shell. Wholly Wholesome makes a great tasting pie crust.
SUMMERTIME TOMATO PIE
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons
white wine
½ teaspoon dry
mustard
½ teaspoon garlic
powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cracked
black pepper
2 tablespoons
fresh minced parsley
3-4 medium tomatoes, sliced (enough to fill the pie ¾ full)
About 15-20 fresh basil leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise with ¼ cup Parmesan
cheese, white wine, dry mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley. Set
mixture aside.
3. Arrange half of the tomatoes in the baked pie shell. Top the
tomatoes with fresh basil leaves and top the basil leaves with remaining tomato
slices.
4.
Dollop the Parmesan/mayonnaise mixture over tomatoes. (Don’t
worry about perfection as the mixture will even out while baking.)
5. Top the pie with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake
for 35-45 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.
4 to 6 servings
