Last night, our friends Ana Maria & Rives came over for dinner. We inaugurated the grill Mr. Mari won (that's another story to be told later) with baby back ribs, sausage and corn. But before digging into those mesquite-smoked yummies, we had tomato pie. I guess it hit all the notes Ana Maria loves since I was told mid-mouthful that I needed to put this recipe up SOON.
Tomato Pie
9- or 10-inch tart, 8 generous slices
If using a pan, a bottemless tart pan works best here since you can remove the fluted rim to easliy cut the crust wall. Personally, I like the how simple and rustic the freeform pie looks.
The reason for sugaring and salting the tomatoes is to help remove some of the excess water content. If you skip this step, you may find a wading pool of tomato juice at the bottom of your pie.
For the tomatoes:
1-1/2 pounds (roughly 3 medium-large) tomatoes, I used beefsteak and heirloom varieties
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
For the dough (Pâte Brisée):
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour + additional for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 ounces (1 stick + 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces, chilled
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
4 ounces goat cheese
Put a small pot of water on to boil. With a knife, score an X on the bottom of each tomato. When the water has boiled, carefully lower your tomatoes into the water, blanching them for 30 seconds or so. Remove them from the water and when cool enough, peel the skins off. Slice the tomatoes in half, core, deseed and then slice 1/2-inch thick. Place on a wire rack and sprinkle sugar and salt on both sides, let drain for 30 minutes.
Mix flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add chilled butter and with dough blender, two knives or your fingers, combine so you end up with a crumbly-textured mixture. There shouldn't be any large discernable butter pieces but don't go crazy. Whisk the egg with 2 tablespoons of ice water. Make a well in the center of your flour and add the egg mixture. With a fork, gently combine until it holds together. If it doesn't hold together, add the remaining tablespoon of water.
On a lightly floured surface, place dough in center and shape into a circle or whatever shape your pie will take. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thick, only flouring as necessary. If you want a freeform pie like the one I made, roll dough out to 14-inches across. If using a tart pan, roll dough around your rolling pin and unroll it over your pan, carefully lifting and pressing dough into the corners. Using your rolling pin, roll directly over edge to shear off any extra. Dock the bottom with a fork. Freeform: transfer dough to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet before docking. In a small bowl, combine mustard, sour cream, salt and pepper. Spread mustard mixture on bottom of dough. Freeform: leave a two-inch border. Place dough in fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice leeks lengthwise and rinse well under cold water. Slice into 1/4-inch thick pieces. In a small frying pan, heat butter over medium-low heat. Add leeks and saute until soft about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Paper towel-dry the tomatoes on both side. Sprinkle leeks evenly over mustard mixture. Place tomatoes in a single layer on top of leeks. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle 1 teaspoon thyme evenly over tomatoes. Sprinkle chunks of goat cheese on top and the remaining teaspoon of thyme. If your pie is freeform, fold over the edges to keep the tomatoes and cheese from potentially oozing out while baking.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!