Goodbye Summer Pie

As promised I am back this week with a new recipe to share, and it is one of my all-time favorites! Although summer is officially gone I am salvaging what is left of juicy tomatoes and sweet corn. This tomato corn pie is definitely best in summer with the freshest ingredients but due to its tastiness I have found myself making it all year long.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (from about 3 ears), coarsely chopped by hand (my preference) or lightly puréed in a food processor, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided (skipped this, no harm was done)
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
7ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided

1.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms a dough, then gather into a ball.

2.  Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Lift the dough and carefully place it in the pie plate, pushing down the edges. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.

3.  Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.

4.  Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and, gently remove seeds and extra juices (don’t skip this step otherwise  the pie will become soggy). Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5.  Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch and place it over the filling, pressing down the edges with a fork. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings

Adapted from Smittenkitchen.com