What's in Season

Tomato Pie

In time for the season, Birmingham chef Drew Robinson shares his recipe for tomato pie

By Jenny Everett
Recipe by Drew Robinson

August/September 2013

Illustration: John Burgoyne

In summer’s fleeting moments, a few heirloom tomatoes—Brandywines, Cherokee Purples, Green Zebras—are still thriving and make for a vibrant filling. “This recipe is an old-fashioned tomato pie with the lightness of a tomato salad,” Robinson says.

Ingredients

- 4 shallots, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 9-inch pie shell
- 1 lb. assorted heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 oz. fresh basil chiffonade
- 1 tbsp. Grenache vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small pan, sauté shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in mustard, and set aside.

Place pastry shell in a 9-inch pie dish. Layer in half of the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper; spread shallot mixture over top. Add goat cheese and half of the basil, distributing evenly. Layer in remaining tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and vinegar over the tomatoes; top with remaining basil.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle evenly over tomato filling.

Bake 30 minutes, or until topping and crust are golden brown.

Recipe from Drew Robinson, formerly of Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jenny Everett is a contributing editor at Garden & Gun, and has been writing the What’s in Season column since 2009. She has also served as an editor at Women’s Health, espnW, and Popular Science, among other publications. She lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with her husband, David; children, Sam and Rosie; and a small petting zoo including a labrador retriever, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a fish.