There’s something real special about using heirloom tomatoes as opposed to hybrid varieties. Heirloom tomatoes are ‘breed true’, meaning that the seeds can be saved to grow more of the same tomatoes year after year. Generally, they are more expensive because they are not as prolific as hybrids, and they do not ship or store well.
The seeds from heirloom tomatoes (also called heritage tomatoes) have been selected over many years for desirable traits, such as size, color, and taste. They are open-pollinated, meaning that bees, moths, birds, bats, wind, or rain pollinate the tomato flowers.
These days, many hybrid tomatoes are bred for traits such as high yield, disease resistance, and the ability to ship and store well. This decreases costs for farmers and consumers and minimizes waste due to spoiled produce.
However, this cost savings and efficiency comes at the expense of flavor. When you cross two tomato plants to make the offspring disease resistant or highly productive, you may also lose other traits, such as rich flavor.
This is exactly what has happened to many hybrid tomato varieties: they have lost some of the sugar and nutrient content that makes heirloom tomatoes taste sweeter and juicier. These little gems add such a special touch to this savory summer tart.
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- 908 gm (2 LBS) assorted heirloom tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 250 gm sliced bacon, diced
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- 2 cloves (2 tsp) garlic, minced
- 170 gm (about 1 1/2 cups) aged extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1 Tbsp basil paste found in the vegetable section at the grocery store
- 1/4 cup chives, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp Dijon grainy mustard
- 1 large egg
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp Smoky Ranchero seasoning
- 1/4 tsp EACH coriander & cumin
- 3 green onions, chopped for garnish
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 85 gm Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely shredded
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cold vegetable shortening, cubed
- 6 Tbsp buttermilk
Ingredients
Filling
Parmesan Buttermilk Pastry
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- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tomatoes into ½-inch-thick slices. Place about 7 or 8 slices (enough to cover top of pie) on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cover with additional paper towels, and reserve.
- Arrange remaining tomatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased wire rack set on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bake in preheated oven until wilted and slightly dried out, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Make Parmesan-Buttermilk Pie Crust. Instructions below.
- While pie crust cools, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high until fat is beginning to render, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped shallots, and cook until bacon is crisp and shallots are caramelized, 6 to 7 more minutes. Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon mixture to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Cool 20 minutes.
- Stir together cheese, ranch dressing, basil paste, chives, Dijon, and egg until combined. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt & spices. Fold in bacon mixture.
- Gently spread a third of cheese mixture onto cooled Parmesan-Buttermilk Crust; layer with half of the roasted tomato slices in slightly overlapping pattern. Spread another third of cheese mixture on top of tomato slices. Repeat with remaining roasted tomato slices and cheese mixture. Top with reserved sliced fresh tomatoes, pressing filling gently into crust. Shield edges of pie with aluminum foil.
- Bake in preheated oven until filling is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let stand 1 hour before serving. Garnish with chopped green onion or chives.
- Pulse flour, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until combined. Add butter and shortening. Pulse until butter and shortening are pea size pieces, about 5 times. Drizzle in buttermilk processing until dough begins to just come together. Gather and lightly knead dough into a ball on a large piece of plastic wrap; flatten into disk and wrap tightly. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll dough on a floured surface into a 15- to 16-inch circle about 1/3 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Trim edges leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold edges under and crimp. Freeze dough at least 20 minutes.
- Line piecrust with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 400°F 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and bake until edges are golden and bottom of crust is set, about 8 more minutes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Whether using store-bought or homemade dough, don't forget to blind-bake the crust (bake it a bit on its own) before adding the filling. This extra step will keep the crust from turning soggy as the pie bakes.
- Another good pastry alternative would be one with cornmeal in it.
