Recipes

Tennessee Tomato Pie

By: The Local Palate

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A completed Tennessee Tomato Pie with melted cheese and big round tomato slices

Image Courtesy of Jillian Andrews

You can’t go wrong with tomato in Tennessee, claims Caitlyn Cox of RT Lodge in. After all, it’s the state fruit. You see variations of tomato pie throughout the South, but Cox pulled inspiration from summertime salads to create her recipe. Dukkah spice and pistachios give this savory pie recipe a touch of nuttiness that offsets the acidic tomatoes and rich, cheesy filling.

recipe

yields

1 pie

For the pie crust

2¼ cups (4½ sticks) butter, cold
4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
¾ cups ice water
Yields 2 pie crusts

For the pie

1 Traditional Pie Dough crust
1½ cups mayonnaise
3 cups goats milk feta, crumbled
1½ teaspoon hot sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons dukkah spice blend, plus more for dusting
Salt and pepper
5 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
Special equipment: Pie weights

steps

For the Pie Crust

Cube butter; place on plate and keep in freezer while prepping dry ingredients.
Sift together dry ingredients. In bowl of a food processor, add dry ingredients and butter, and pulse until butter forms pea-sized pieces. Transfer dough to mixing bowl. Use hands to bring dough together, gradually adding ice water until dough turns soft and tacky.
Separate dough into 1-pound blocks and wrap in plastic wrap; chill for at least 30 minutes.
Dust work surface with flour. Working one block at a time, roll out dough and form into pie tin. Store in freezer until ready to use.

For the Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or pie weights. Bake until it starts to turn golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before adding filling. While crust bakes, arrange tomato slices on paper towel to absorb any extra moisture.
In a mixing bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, feta, hot sauce, lemon juice, and dukkah, and season with salt and pepper.
Remove pie weights and parchment paper from cooled pie shell. Layer sliced tomatoes on bottom of crust and cover with ⅓ cup of mayonnaise mixture and a sprinkle of diced onions. Repeat layering until pie shell is filled. Finish with layer of tomatoes on top and sprinkle with dukkah spice for visual presentation. Bake until top is golden brown and custard is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Date Published: 06.01.23