Fresh and Savory Tomato Pie

One of the things I love about food blogging is discovering dishes made by my peers, other bloggers. I recently happened on one such dish; this savory tomato pie. I love summer tomatoes; enough so that I can eat them raw so this pie seemed perfect for me. I would have this for the main course and this Strawberry Mascarpone pie for dessert and be a truly happy camper.

I made it straight away although I have to tell you…I sort of winged it. Not wanting to go check my computer, I didn’t do it quite right but no matter it was good and I was happy to have something so quick that was just filled with my absolute favorite summer fruit/vegetable…the tomato! If not for a meeting of my blogger group the next morning, I think I might have dug in and eaten the whole thing for dinner but I found some patience, held off until morning when I warmed it a bit and it was enjoyed by more than just myself.

I may be late to the party but I had agreed last month to participate in the Food Networks Summer Fest so when I received a reminder yesterday from Sarah that today was the day to publish our post on tomatoes I did think…uh oh, how did that happen so quickly? I knew this pie would be a perfect choice. I had a lunch engagement with Karin from the Denver Truffle so I was already planning to be out and felt even more lucky when I swung by a place I ‘hoped’ might have some fresh, local produce available and they did!

I bought local organic red tomatoes and some adorable yellow cherry tomatoes and after a quick stop by the grocery I had some pie crusts. Now before you reprimand me I must note that I both make my own pie crusts and I use the ready made ones that unroll and fit into a pie plate. Contrary to assertions that it is ‘just as easy’ to make your own, that is just not true! Especially when time really is of the essence and I did not have that extra hour to have the dough rest in the fridge. So do whatever works for you; I’m not yet on the road to being Sandra Lee but I sometimes appreciate a convenience too!

This time I ‘might’ have overfilled the crust a bit with too many tomatoes…you know trying to even out what I had done the other day, but no matter; this is a great simple dish just filled with the flavor of tomatoes. It does not cook long enough for them to break down and become sauce, just enough to warm and soften and meld with the cheese and crust and…well, you get it right?

I’ll be honest, since there is no filling per se to bind the ingredients together, it’s like serving something that should be scooped into a bowl and not worrying about having it look like the perfect slice . But I didn’t care and if you love tomatoes like I do in the summer and can barely get enough of them you  won’t either. Make a couple of these pies. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! (Oh wait, I DID eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!)

Creative Culinary is participating in Food Network’s Summer Fest 2011 where we will be sharing great recipes using seasonal produce. You can find other delicious dishes using tomatoes over at the Food Network as well as at these sites:

• Chez Us: Roasted Tomato Sauce
• Daily*Dishin: Refreshing and Rustic – Tuscan Bread Salad
• Glory Foods: Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Dishin and Dishes: Tomato Tart Tatin
• The Purple Cook: Eggplant Parmesan Caprese Salad
• I Am Mommy: Tomato Crudite
• Cooking With My Kid: Gluten-Free White Bean Chive Cakes with Heirloom Tomatoes
• FN Dish: Easy Tomato Appetizers
• Add a Pinch: Simple Caprese Salad Skewers
• Sweet Life Bake: Salsa Cruda
• Virtually Homemade: Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Bacon and Shaved Romano
• Dixie Chik Cooks: Tomato, Basil and Olive Bruschetta
• The Sensitive Epicure: Yemista – Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers with Potatoes
• Mooshu Jenne: Sun Burst Tomato Pasta
• Napa Farmhouse 1885: Book Club, Tomatoes and a Recipe for Chicken Provençal?
• Cooking With Elise: Tomato Parmesan Biscuits
• From My Corner of Saratoga: Cooking from the Garden – Bruschetta Pizza
• Fritos and Foie Gras: Tomato Terrine
• Big Apple Nosh: Caprese Salad/Tomato Carnage
• Spices and Aroma: Quick and Easy Paneer Curry
• Zaika Zabardast: Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Breakfast Rolls
• Big Girls Small Kitchen: Seared Chicken with Cherry Tomato Pan Sauce
• Haute Apple Pie: Heirloom Tomato & Three Cheese Tart
• What’s Gaby Cooking: Zebra Tomato and Burrata Crostini
• Zaika Zabardast: Balsamic Roasted Tomato-Basil Ice
• And Love It Too: Healthy Lunchbox – Garlic Tomato Basil Pesto Bruchetta 

My thanks to  Sarah De Heer, Online Editor, FoodNetwork.com and FN Dish for her work in pulling together Summerfest!