Getting Crusty

As the days grow a bit cooler and the produces piles higher and higher, it's time to take a little more time to get creative with all those fruits and tomatoes. Last week when I overdosed on peaches, I found I just couldn't make one more crisp, not matter how much everybody loved it, not one more peach crisp. (although I did just put one in the freezer using up the peaches that were sitting in the fridge with no place to go. That taste of summer will make a very welcome dessert in winter chill.) So I started playing and came up with a winner: peaches and cream pie. Easy as pie!

For starters, I made a thick cookie dough crust. I quickly combined in a food processor 1 1/4 cups flour, 5 tbsp unsalted butter, a pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar. When that was blended, I added an egg to bind it into clumps. I buttered a 9-10" pie dish and patted the dough into it--which for me is a lot easier than rolling. To be sure the crust would really brown, I pre-baked it at 350º for 10 minutes. (I had to put another pie plate on top to keep it from rising.)

While that was happening, I sliced up 3 large, juicy peaches and arranged those petal like slices in concentric circles over the pie crust--three layers. I sprinkled the peaches with cardamom and nutmeg. I also had a tiny bit of shredded coconut to use up so I threw it on top. So far so good. Now in a medium bowl, I whisked together 1 cup heavy cream (the first time I used plain, thick yogurt, which you can do, but I like the sweetness of the cream better) with two extra large egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp flour and 1 tsp vanilla and a splash of rose water. I poured this over the peaches. (It's so thick it has trouble getting down among them so you have to help by shaking the pie plate slightly.) I baked the peaches and cream pie at 350º about 35 minutes until the custard was set and lightly browned on top. Also the crust was brown around the edges. That was it! Didn't need to serve it with whipped cream or ice cream. The crust was as crisp as a cookie, the custard perfect with the sliced peaches. The first group who ate the first pie scarfed all down but two pieces which they greedily set aside for breakfast. The second group two days later took seconds and I finished the last piece for breakfast.

Then came the tomatoes and the idea of a tomato pie. Not a pizza, mind you, a real pie dish pie. I reviewed a pile of recipes, some with a double crust, some with sliced tomatoes instead of chopped, some with cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella, etc etc. And decided to make my pie up. It wasn't that hard. You can buy yourself a 9" pie crust or you can whip one up in a food processor as I did. I whizzed together 1 cup flour, 6 tbsp unsalted butter, a dash of vinegar (makes crust flaky) and a pinch of salt. Then I added 3 tbsp heavy cream to blend it all. I rolled this out for a 9" pie dish which I faithfully buttered before fitting it in. Thinking the tomatoes would be juicy, I brushed the crust with a beaten egg to "seal" it. I plunked a heavy weight on it and baked it at 350º for 10 minutes to be sure the bottom would be nice and crisp in the end.

As for the pie, I chopped a small red onion just plucked from the farmers market and spread that on the bottom of the warm pie crust. Then in a food processor I combined 8 large basil leaves, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp pine nuts and a sprinkle of black pepper into a paste which I spread over the onions. I cored 3 large tomatoes and cut them into chunks which I lifted off the board in order to leave all that juice behind and arranged them evenly in the pie shell. I sprinkled 1 tsp dried oregano over them, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and 2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs that I hoped would soak up any excess juices. I did not put in salt because salt would've drawn all the juice from those tomatoes and made a very messy pie. Best to salt when eating. Finally, in a small bowl I combined 1 cup grated pecorino cheese (I happened to have that around but parmesan or asiago work just as well) with 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup mayonnaise (which was in all the recipes I read). This makes a gooey paste to be spread across the top of the pie. I drizzled 2 tsp fruity olive oil over the top. That was it! Baked at 350º about 35-40 minutes until the crust was brown, the tomatoes bubbly and the cheese top lightly browned. I ate this immediately with an ear of fresh corn and cucumber salad. I can see serving it with grilled chicken or flank steak. It serves 6 easily. If you aren't so anxious to dig right in, you can keep it overnight in the fridge and reheat it to serve the next day. This cooler time of September, it's a really warm, welcome way to gorge on all those precious tomatoes. And something different for a change.