5-23: Cheese Pie with Tomatoes comes with a bit of a story. About 10 years ago, I spent a week in Chattanooga, Tennessee with my college friend/roommate and his family. His aunt (who was hosting us) attempted to teach me some of her Southern-style recipes while we were there, and one of them was something called “tomato pie”.
![5-23 Cheese Pie with Tomatoes](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/5-23+Cheese+Pie+with+Tomatoes.jpg?w=720&ssl=1)
Her tomato pie involved a pie crust, tomatoes, a JAR of Hellmann’s (it was the South), and a whole bag of shredded cheese. This one is slightly less heart-attack-inducing.
![5-23 Cheese Pie with Tomatoes1](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/5-23+Cheese+Pie+with+Tomatoes1.jpg?w=720&ssl=1)
My mom never made this one, but I suppose it wouldn’t have been completely offensive to her.
![IMG_2049](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2049.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Ingredients. I had some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from the CSA box (notice my intricate tomato stacking) that I wanted to use before they got yucky, hence the inspiration for this recipe. Used half-and-half for this instead of milk since that was the only lactose-free option I had on hand.
![IMG_2052](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2052.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Making the dough in my ancient Cuisinart. This thing’s on its last legs, but it’s hanging in there for now (at least until someone buys me a new one off my Amazon wishlist).
![IMG_2053](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2053.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
What a nice little ball of dough. 🙂 I make homemade quiches weekly for a friend of mine, and so I’ve gotten pretty good at whipping up pie crust dough. I usually use Julia Child’s pâte brisée recipe, which you can find here.
![IMG_2054](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2054.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
I can’t get over how pretty heirloom tomatoes are. We got cases of them in the restaurant over the summer for caprese toasts, and I never got over how gorgeous and unique ever single one was.
![IMG_2056](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2056.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Pushing out the crust with my hand. Yes, I know my fingernails are long for working with food.
![IMG_2057](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2057.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Those indentations are made with the end of a knife. It’s not like you’ll even be able to see it when I fill the pie, but it makes me happy.
![IMG_2059](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2059.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
And after it baked. Already, the indentations are difficult to see. I told you it doesn’t make much of a difference.
![IMG_2062](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2062.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Putting the bacon in the crust. Don’t do it the way I did it, it doesn’t cut or serve well (as I found out). You’re better off laying them next to each other, even if you have to break the pieces to do it.
![IMG_2063](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2063.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Laying the tomatoes in. Still can’t get over those colors.
![IMG_2064](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2064.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Cheese and green onions added. Goodbye, crust.
![IMG_2065](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2065.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
Egg & half-and-half mixture on top. Ready to bake!
![IMG_2066](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2066.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
The finished product. Looks pretty good, and nary a drop of Hellmann’s to be seen.
![IMG_2724](https://i0.wp.com/simplydeliciouscookbook-photos.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/section1/group05/23/IMG_2724.jpeg?w=720&ssl=1)
And the final shot, which I posted earlier when I made it originally. Not quite the same as the original concept (no mayonnaise), but it was still pretty delicious.
Grade: A-