Tomato and Corn Pie

naomi — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:15:20 +0000

I’ve been on a tomato kick recently. It’s the end of summer (actually summer pretty much exited stage left the moment September came into view) and I’m trying to cram as many fresh tomatoes into our diet as I can.

I first made this pie over a month ago, and while we loved it then, it was so juicy that the pie plate was flooded the moment you cut into it. It wasn’t a huge problem, we just drained it off and continued eating, enjoying the bright taste of the fresh tomatoes and corn.

I made it again last week and I roasted the tomatoes a little to get rid of some of the excess juice without losing any flavor. (I hate blanching tomatoes, I don’t know why, but it just feels inhumane to me). We took the pie over to our neighbors’ house and their twelve-year-old son asked for seconds. I think that’s a pretty solid recommendation for a dish that consists almost exclusively of vegetables (though the biscuit crust and heavy dose of cheese couldn’t have hurt).

Tomato and Corn Pie
Adapted from Gourmet

Some notes: While I like the effect of the roasted tomatoes, and the less watery pie they produced, I don’t think it’s entirely necessary. If you’re feeling lazy, or are in a rush, don’t worry about it.
I didn’t actually puree the corn, coarsely or otherwise, I just chopped it.
I added marjoram because I love it, it’s works as a nice counterpoint to basil, similar in flavor, but a little spicier.
I used Tumbleweed the fist time and a sharp English farmhouse cheddar the second time, both were delicious.
I would also like to note that the first time around this crust came out beautifully, was so easy to make. The second time I mistakenly added 3/4 cup- not 3/4 of a stick- of butter, making the dough impossible to roll out. It was still very tasty.

for the crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus 2 tsp melted
3/4 cup whole milk

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the milk until the mixture just comes together, form the dough into a ball.

Divide the dough in half, set one half aside to rest and roll out the other half into a 12″ circle (more or less). Fit the dough into a lightly-greased 9″ pie pan.

for the filling:

2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1-3/4 pound beefsteak tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4″ thick, or sliced and roasted 10-15 minutes in a 350-degree oven
1-1/2 cups corn (from 2-3 ears), coarsely pureed in a food processor
2 tbsp finely chopped basil
1 tbsp finely chopped marjoram
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
7 oz coarsely grated sharp cheddar (1-3/4 cup)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk together the mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Stir together the basil, marjoram, and chives.

Arrange half of the tomatoes on the bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, half the corn mixture, and half the herb mixture.

Repeat with the rest of the tomatoes, corn, and herbs, then sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.

Pour the lemon mayonnaise over the filling and then add the remaining cheese.

Roll out the remaining piece of dough and fit it over the filling folding the overhang under the edge of the bottom crust, pinching to seal.

Cut four steam vents in the top crust and brush with the 2 tsp of melted butter.

Bake pie until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling 30-35 minutes.

Blue cheese and spinach quiche

naomi — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:33:22 +0000

A few weeks ago Amir cheated on me with the cheese department at Whole Foods. I know it’s terrible, but I’ve forgiven him and we’ve managed to rebuild the trust in our dairy relationship.

Because of said cheating we had a quarter of a pound of Bleu d’Auvergne sitting in our fridge. Bleu d’Auvergne is my go-to blue that I recommend for people who want something slightly pungent but not overpowering. They don’t want a completely whimpy cheese but they also don’t want to be punched in the taste buds (not that that’s a bad thing). It’s a cow’s milk cheese, fairly creamy, not too salty, and a little spicy.

Now, I had a customer come in the shop who was buying Roquefort for a Roquefort and leek quiche from Bouchon by Thomas Keller. This got me to thinking about making a blue cheese quiche of my own. Rather than turning to Mr. Keller who seems a bit too militant a cook for me, I looked to the woman of the moment, Julia Child. I love her, as just about everyone does and Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a masterpiece. Every recipe I’ve ever tried has come out perfectly, including this one.

Blue Cheese and Spinach Quiche
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

This quiche is the perfect size for two people. We ate half of it for dinner one night and the rest of it the next day. It ended up being more of a “let’s clean out the fridge” quiche as I had blue cheese that was about to turn and a bunch of wild spinach.

If you’re a little unsure about blue cheeses, stick with Bleu d’Auvergne. However, you shouldn’t be afraid of trying something like a Roquefort or a gorgonzola, the cottage cheese, eggs and cream temper the cheese so the quiche doesn’t taste too strong.

partially pre-baked 8″ quiche shell (I promise I’ll let you in on my secrets of crust making, I just need to recruit Amir to take pictures of the process)*
3 ounces blue cheese
6 ounces cream cheese or cottage cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 eggs
about 1 or 1-1/2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh chives or 1/2 tsp minced green onion tops

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Blanch spinach for 3-5 minutes. Saute over medium heat to remove the excess water.

Mix together both cheeses, the butter, and cream with a fork. Beat in the eggs. Push the mixture though a sieve to get rid of any lumps.

Add salt and pepper and cayenne to taste, then stir in the chives.

I sieved the cheese mixture directly into the pan with the spinach, but if you haven’t done that, stir in the spinach.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pastry shell. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the quiche has puffed and the top has browned.

*I recognize that the picture of this crust does not recommend my crust-making skills but I promise you it tasted amazing. It’s been so hot here getting crusts into the pan in one piece has been a minor triumph.

the honey eater » cheese

Tomato and Corn Pie

Blue cheese and spinach quiche