Tomato Pies and Tarts

One of my favorite things to make this past summer was tomato pie.   I have recipes torn out from magazines over the past couple of years, but when I bought a bunch of tomatoes in June, I could only find the picture of the specific one I wanted to make - apparently the recipe was later in the magazine and I neglected to keep that part.  So I went searching.  It's easy to find recipes these days, but I was looking for a specific recipe, based on the picture in my mind.   After reading A LOT of tomato tart and pie recipes, I started experimenting with the ones below.  I think I may have tried another, but it was not remarkable and was quickly forgotten.  

The tart is easy because it's just puffed pastry, tomatoes, herbs and Parmesan cheese.  One time I used fresh basil, another Italian Seasoning - most anything works.

My favorite is the Tomato Pie with Sour Cream Pastry.  It is best with regular sour cream (not light) and tomatoes in the peak of tomato season.  I made one last week; it was good, but not as amazing as the tomatoes that were summer rich and juicy.   I bought the larger tomatoes and used our grape, cherry, and Roma tomatoes that we grew.  The best one, of course, was the one I made with tomatoes straight from my Dad's garden in August when we were in Pennsylvania.  So very delicious!

Both crusts are pre-baked for 5-13 minutes.  The main different between the two is that the pie has a topping of mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and spices.   The pie takes about 35 minutes to bake once assembled, whereas the tart is only 10-15.  

The sour cream crust is pretty simple, I mixed it as much as I could with a dough whisk, and then kneaded it by hand the rest of the way.  It needs to be refrigerated for awhile, so I wrapped it in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the day.   The crusts always looked so nice going into the oven, but then took on a life of their own.  So, don't be disappointed if they come out a lot different than when they went into the oven; the flavor is still wonderful!

To save myself a lot of time, I am just going to provide the links for the recipes that I based mine on.    So, if you are lucky enough to find some late tomatoes, give it a try, or file it away for next summer.

Sour Cream Pastry
Tomato Pie
Tomato Tart

Tomato Tart

Tomato Pie - Pennsylvania

Tomato Pie - Texas