Tomato Pie

I am going to be honest with you guys, I hate tomatoes and I hate mayonnaise. And those are the two main ingredients in this pie. I do not take pleasure in making this, I make it mostly because THE PEOPLE LOVE IT. It is like a fancy pie lasagna, and it is beautiful and very aesthetically pleasing, and if you like tomatoes and mayonnaise this is your dream come true.

what you need:

• 1 pie crust Here is my favorite and old faithful, but feel free to use a store bought one as well
• 4 large beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese NOT THE SHAKER KIND WITH THE GREEN LID GET GOOD STUFF
• 1 egg, whisked

what you need to do:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fit your pie dough to your pie pan, fluting the edges as desired.
• Once fluted, place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from freezer. Prick all over the inside of the crust with a fork (do not prick all the way to the bottom of the pan, just prick the surface) to create air holes, and then line your crust with parchment paper and either 1) pie weights or 2) dried beans to weigh it down while you blind bake it. Make sure the weights or beans come up to the edges of the pie to ensure it does not shrink.
• Tip: crumble up the parchment several times to make it loose and more flexible before you line the crust with it.
• You do this so that the crust does not shrink as the butter melts in the dough, and also so that we do not end up with a soggy bottom pie.
• Bake the pie in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until it starting to slightly brown. Pull from the oven, carefully remove the weights and parchment, and place back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
• Pull from the oven and set it aside to cool as we prepare the filling.
• Cut your tomatoes into thin slices (about how they are cut for hamburgers), and then into fourths. Place the quartered tomatoes in a colander and let them sit in the sink, gently mixing every few minutes to try and get all of that excess water to drain out. If you do not this, the pie will be SUPER watery when it bakes as the tomatoes will release all of those juices in the oven.
• While they drain, mix the mayo and the Parmesan cheese together until fully blended.
• In a small bow, mix together the salt, oregano, pepper, and paprika.
• In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the spice mixture.
• Grab your cooled pie crust, and gently place your tomatoes in and fill to the top.
• Once you have filled, grab your mayo/parm mixture and spread evenly over the top.
• Using a pastry brush or a paint brush, whatever you have, brush the whisked egg all over the crust edges. This will make the crust golden brown and shiny!

• Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan and cracked pepper on the top, and place in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pie crust and the top of the pie are both a crispy golden brown. Depending on your crust and your oven, this could take more than 30 minutes, but I always check after 30 and add on 10 min at a time until it is done.
• Remove from oven and let cool for at least an hour before cutting.
• Warning: even though we “drained” our tomatoes, they still release a ton of moisture when they are baked, so when you cut into the pie, you may still experience a little pool of juice to seep out, that is okay. Just drain it by spooning it out and into the sink.
• Serve warm!