Batali, Dior, and Dewey Walk into a Bar...: Heirloom Tomato Pie

This. This recipe IS summer. I dream of if every single year. I usually only make it once because it's definitely a recipe made with love [aka a little extra work than most]. I also only make it once a year because the star of this show, the lovely heirloom tomato, is usually a pretty expensive find. All of that aside, this recipe is my absolute FAVORITE thing to make in the summer once the tomatoes are ripe, juicy, and sweet enough to mix with some cheese + a homemade crust. Holy. Yum.

This, my friends, is the crowned jewel of the summer. The perfect, the juicy, the ripe heirloom tomato. If you don't know what an heirloom tomato is, it's basically an organically-grown (usually) unique tomato with an unbelievably delicious taste. HTs can be red, yellow, or orange. Each HT has a distinctly different shape than every other one. They're yummy and pretty, too.

I've paid up to $15 for four of these little lovelies. Yes, I'm that committed to my food. If only that level of commitment would transfer over into things like cleaning, laundry, working out, and wearing make up.

The filling consists of all of the following bits of delicious: sautéed onions, mozzarella cheese, mayo, chives, thyme, parsley*, and breadcrumbs.

*I definitely bought two bunches of cilantro instead of 1 cilantro + 1 parsley when shopping for this year's tomato pie. Ewwww. Cilantro would NOT work for this. I would've cried. wept. sobbed. if this summer sensation was ruined by the wrong herb.

This homemade crust is worth EVERY ounce of extra effort. I actually use it in a few other recipes because it's sooooo savory, cheesy, and buttery. It's also very, very forgiving. Right before I took this picture, you should've seen the crumbly hot mess of dough this was. I just shmooshed it around with my fingers until it submitted to my ultimate power and took the shape of a pie crust. It takes a little extra time to make, but I promise you, your taste buds will thank you later. Plus, bonus, it burns some extra calories, right?

Make the crust: Pulse the flour, cornmeal and fine salt in a food processor or standing mixer to combine. Add the butter and 3 tbs. Manchego; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 4 tbs. ice water (must be ice cold for the dough to come together) and pulse until the dough comes together; add 1 more tbs. ice water if necessary. Form dough into a disc, place in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes, or until firm.

Flour a clean working surface and dust a rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a large enough disc to fit into a pie plate. Press the dough into the pie dish and form to the sides of the dish. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Refrigerate an additional 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.

Line the crust with foil, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Increase oven temp to 375.

Make the filling: Thinly slice the tomatoes and toss with 1 tsp. Kosher salt. Place in colander and allow to drain, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs. EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool.

Combine the mozzarella, 3/4 cup Manchego, mayo, breadcrumbs, 2 tbs. each chives and parsley, thyme, ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper, and the sautéed onion in a large bowl. Spoon and level into the cooled crust. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbs. EVOO and season with pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes. Garnish with remaining chives and parsley.