“This pie combines two of my absolute favorite summer vegetables—tomatoes and fresh corn,” says Amanda Wilbanks, founder of Georgia’s Southern Baked Pie Company and author of Southern Baked: Celebrating Life With Pie. “It’s cheesy, but full of garden veggies and bright flavors.” The trick to making delicious pie dough, she adds, is using cold ingredients. Starting with very cold butter and ice cold water will make a world of difference when it comes to the texture of the dough. Wilbanks chills her flour, salt, and sugar, too.
Food & Drink
Tomato Corn Pie
Makes 1 pie, serves 8
Two farmers’ market standouts come together in this savory summer favorite
Ingredients
For the crust:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ cup water
For the filling:
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Preparation
To make the crust, cut the butter into small cubes. Combine butter and flour in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour. Add the salt and sugar. Continue to work the butter into the flour until the mixture has a consistency of course-ground cornmeal. The cubes of butter should now be smaller than the size of a green pea.
Add the water, all at once. Continue to work the dough until the dough begins to come together. (Tip: Patience is key, here. Kneading might take longer than expected, but don’t add any more water than the recipe calls for.) Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and press into the shape of a disk. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill.
Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Place it into a 9-inch pie plate and flute the edges.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place tomato slices on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt; set aside. Whisk together the Duke’s mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, basil, and pepper in a small bowl. (Tip: Wilbanks recommends Duke’s mayonnaise because of its sugar-free, vinegar base.)
Sprinkle the bottom of pie crust with ¼ cup cheese. Arrange half of the tomatoes over the cheese and sprinkle with corn. Cover the tomatoes with half of the mayonnaise mixture. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, and mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Bake for one hour, or until bubbly. Cover with aluminum foil if cheese begins to brown too quickly.
Recipe from Southern Baked: Celebrating Life With Pie by Amanda Wilbanks
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