Tweaked Tomato Pie

As I mentioned earlier this week, during a recent visit to Colorado, Aunt Katie shared with me her recipe for tomato pie. Tomato pie seems to be the thing to make lately as tomatoes are in abundance this time of year. Don't believe me? Check here, here, or here. I was hooked at first bite- it was such a delicious side dish for the dinner party she was hosting. It was just as good cold the next day for lunch, by the way.

I can't imagine improving upon her recipe in the slightest- it was so flavorful and simple to make. However, as we were cooking, Katie asked what I might do differently. I gave it some thought and made a few minor tweaks. I wanted to retain the same simplicity and ease of preparation, but with a slightly different flavor.

The first change I made was to make individual pies rather than a single large one. I love to individually portion dishes when possible- it makes serving easy! Then, to change things up a little, I used a combination of blue and mozzarella cheeses in place of the cheddar and some bacon and green onions in place of the basil. All of these flavors worked really well together, especially when the pies were seasoned with a little smoked paprika and a dash of hot sauce.

Tweaked Tomato Pie for Four

Ingredients:
1 recipe of your favorite single-crust pie dough (or packaged roll-out pie crusts)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup freshly shredded mozzarella, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
A dash of two of Tabasco sauce
2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp
6 Roma tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Roll out pie crust and press into individual pie pans. Crimp edges.
-Place a paper muffin liner in each pie and fill with pie weights.
-Blind bake in a preheated oven for 5 minutes with the pie weights.
-Remove the weights and liner, return to oven, and bake an additional 4-5 minutes.
-Remove crusts from oven and turn oven down to 375 degrees.
-While the crusts are baking, mix the mayo, cheeses, paprika, and hot sauce.
-Add 1 tablespoon each of crumbled bacon and green onions.
-Season to taste with salt, pepper, and extra hot sauce, if desired. Set aside.-Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
-Use a small knife to cut an x on either end of each tomato.
-Briefly submerge each tomato in the boiling water and then transfer to a colander.
-Run all of the tomatoes under cold water. This will cause the skin to peel away from the tomato.
-Peel and slice the tomatoes.
-Lay the slices on paper towels to drain extra moisture.
-Season slices with salt and pepper.
-In the pie shells, layer tomato slices, remaining bacon, and onions. You may want more or less bacon depending on your personal preference.
-Top with mayo mixture and additional mozzarella cheese.
-Return pies to oven and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.