A Summer Main Course Pie That Puts Green Tomatoes Front and Center.
I love green tomatoes. They are tart and almost astringent, but have a little of the sweet flavor of a ripe tomato. I also love tomato pie. This got me thinking about making a green tomato pie. I figured the flavor of green tomatoes would be perfect blended with a creamy cheese topping. And bacon is already a classic pairing with green tomatoes, so I couldn’t see any reason it wouldn’t be great in this pie, too.
I made my pie crust, fitted it into the pie dish and put it in the fridge to chill while I got to work on the filling. I cored, sliced and salted the green tomatoes and set them aside on paper towels to drain. I fried up 3/4 of a pound of chopped bacon, adding some sliced scallions during the last few minutes, removed the bacon from the pan, and drained all the fat out of the skillet, but left behind a tablespoon.
Then I added panko to the hot skillet, let it cook until it started turning golden, added finely grated parmesan to the pan and continued tossing and cooking it until the cheese was crisp. I couldn’t help but think these crispy crumbs would be delicious on top of the finished pie.
While mayonnaise is commonly used in tomato pies, I decided to use crème fraîche in the filling because I think it’s so much creamier and a lot less greasy than mayonnaise. I’ve mentioned it many times, but it’s worth noting how easy it is to make your own crème fraîche by stirring together 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover it loosely and let sit at room temperature for anywhere from 12 to 36 hours, depending on your specific products and the temperature of your home, until it is thickened and tangy.
Along with the crème fraîche, I stirred in an egg, a tablespoon of flour, plenty of aged cheddar cheese, salt, and some gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes). I made sure it was strongly seasoned, as this will be the major flavor component in the pie.
I sprinkled the bottom of the chilled pie crust with a mixture of 1 teaspoon flour and 1 teaspoon sugar. This is a tip I got from P.J. Hamel at King Arthur Baking. It’s commonly used in the bottom of juicy fruit pies, in order to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. I figured it was worth a try here, seeing as I knew the green tomatoes would exude juice. Then it was simply a matter of layering in the tomatoes and bacon, topping them with the creamy cheese mixture, and adding a final top layer of tomatoes. This needs plenty of time in the oven in order for the crust to fully cook and for the tomatoes to soften. An hour and a half at 350° did the trick. After letting it cool for about 20 minutes, I sprinkled on the crisp panko/parmesan crumbs and snipped fresh chives.
Was it as good as I’d hoped? Yep, it was. The flavors were all well balanced. The tart tomatoes, salty bacon, and funky cheddar made for one delicious pie. Those crispy crumbs on top were really icing on the cake. This pie tastes decadent and down home at the same time. Simply delicious!
Green Tomato Pie with Bacon and Panko Crumbs
8
servingsA main course pie filled with sliced green tomatoes, bacon, scallions, cheddar cheese, crème fraîche, and gochugaru. Crisp panko and parmesan is sprinkled on top. Now this is good summer eating!
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Ingredients
- Pie Crust
210 g (1 1/2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter, chilled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Ice water
- Green Tomato Pie with Bacon and Panko Crumbs
4 large green tomatoes (2 1/4 pounds)
1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
3/4 pound - 10 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 scallions, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup crème fraîche, easily made by stirring 2 tablespoons buttermilk into 1 cup heavy cream and letting it sit loosely covered at room temperature until it thickens (anywhere from 12 - 36 hours, depending on your products and the temperature of your home).
1 large egg
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
165 g (1 1/2 cups shredded) packed aged English cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons gochugaru or other red chili pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Morton salt
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
77 g (1/3 cup) lightly packed finely grated parmesan
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Directions
- In the bowl of a food processor, add 140g (1 cup) flour, pinch of salt, and baking powder. Pulse a couple of times in order to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until there is no remaining dry flour. The mixture should have started clumping together. Sprinkle on the remaining 70g (1/2 cup)flour and pulse only until the mixture has started breaking into small pieces.
- Place the vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough ice water to bring the measurement to 1/3 cup. Remove the lid of the processor and sprinkle on the water/vinegar. Replace the lid and pulse very briefly - only once or twice until the water is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour onto the top of the dough and roll it out to a 15 inch circle. Ease it into a 10 inch deep dish pie plate and trim the edges so they are 1/2 inch larger than the pie dish. Roll under the edge of the crust and flute it. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This can even be made the day before, covered and chilled.
- Green Tomato Pie with Bacon and Panko Crumbs
- Core and slice the green tomatoes into 1/8 inch thick rounds. Sprinkle with Morton kosher salt on both sides, using 1 teaspoon salt in total, and place on paper towels to drain for 30 - 60 minutes. Wipe dry with paper towels right before you put them into the pie crust.
- Preheat the oven to 350° with a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, adding the scallions during the last couple of minutes. Drain on paper towels, but keep 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the skillet.
- Stir together 1 teaspoon flour and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl. Distribute it evenly over the bottom of the chilled pie crust.
- Place a layer of the patted dry tomatoes in the bottom of the pie crust (you will have 4 layers altogether. Distribute half the bacon/scallion over the tomatoes. Repeat with another layer of tomatoes and bacon, and then end with the third layer of tomatoes, but saving enough slices of tomatoes to place on top of the pie. Don’t worry if you don’t have quite enough tomatoes for all 3 layers. Just use what you have and you’ll be fine.
- Whisk together the crème fraîche, egg, flour, gochugaru, and salt. Stir in the cheddar cheese. Spoon over the tomatoes, spreading evenly and covering all the tomatoes. Place the remaining slices of tomatoes in a circle on top of the pie. Sprinkle with some black pepper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place in the oven and bake for 80 - 90 minutes or until the cheese topping is very brown. It should be very dark around the edges. Don’t remove the pie from the oven too soon. It’s best to let it bake longer if the top isn’t done yet. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool for 15-20 minutes.
- In the meantime, in the same skillet, with the reserved 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings, cook the panko over medium high heat, tossing until it turns golden brown. Stir in the grated parmesan and continue to toss until the cheese has turned crisp - about 2 minutes. Set aside and let it cool while the pie is in the oven Scatter the crumbs and chives over the top of the pie. Slice, serve, and Enjoy!
Equipment
- 10 inch Deep Dish Pie Dish
4 Responses
I have lots if green tomatoes and this sounds delicious so I’m going to try it. But I have a question. Does the creme fraiche mix go just on top of the last layer or tomatoes or is it spread on each layer?
Hi, Cindy. The crème fraîche mixture goes on top of the last layer of tomatoes. I hope you enjoy this!
Ooh yum! Sounds wonderful. Just got my order of Hatch Green Chile bacon, so I think I’m going to try it with this recipe. Thanks Renée!
Hi, Indira! That hatch green chili bacon should be superb in this!! Please let me know what you think after you’ve made it. Very welcome!