Ripe Tomato Pie - perfect at the peak of summer's tomato season.

When Deanna Whitehair shared this recipe she remember when her daughter-in-law Patti first served it to her for lunch.  Now, it’s a favorite and she said, “Every time I serve it, someone asks for the recipe.”                                                             WE DEFINITELY AGREE AND GIVE THIS RECIPE A THUMBS UP! It is a savory pastry full of summer goodness and lots of cheese, too.

This recipe was previously published in the January 28, 2014 edition of Abilene’s Reflector Chronicle. It was included in the monthly cooking column I used to write about local cooks: Home-Cooking—Dickinson County Style “Capturing the Present and Remembering the Past”©. Deanna’s article was titled, “Still Cooking Mostly From Scratch”.

In the past I’ve even added cooked bacon and called it a Tomato-Bacon Pie. A perfect recipe for the peak of summer's tomato season. 

Ripe Tomato Pie   Makes one 8 or 9-inch pie

1 baked pie shell (click on links to traditional rolled or no-roll recipes )

9 to 10 large tomatoes (scald & peel, then slice, about 1/4” thick)

½ cup chopped onions

10 basil leaves or about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup real mayonnaise

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Layer tomatoes slices, onions and basil in pie shell.  (I used a comb of ripe red & yellow tomatoes and also chopped up the basil.)
   
2. Mix mayonnaise and 2 cheeses. Spread over tomatoes, covering completely.
   
3. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350° oven. Allow to cool; it will set up as it cools. I serve it either at room temperature or chilled.
   

If you like tomato pie, we also have a recipe for Tomato & Basil Tart on our blog.

Recipe without photos . . .

Ripe Tomato Pie   Makes one 8 or 9-inch pie

1 baked pie shell  (click on links to traditional rolled or no-roll recipes)

9 to 10 large tomatoes (scald & peel, then slice, about 1/4” thick)

½ cup chopped onions

10 basil leaves or about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup real mayonnaise

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Layer tomatoes slices, onions and basil in pie shell. (I used a comb of ripe red & yellow tomatoes and also chopped up the basil.)
2. Mix mayonnaise and 2 cheeses. Spread over tomatoes, covering completely.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350° oven. Allow to cool; it will set up as it cools. I serve it either at room temperature or chilled.

Roasted Beet Salad with Blue Cheese & Pine Nuts + Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Fresh beets from Ted Sexton's fall garden pair deliciously with blue cheese, toasted pine nuts and Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Another wonderful reason I LOVE fall!

Roasted Beet Salad with Blue Cheese & Pine Nuts + Apple Cider Vinaigrette      

8 servings

4 medium beets (1 1/2 pounds total), scrubbed & trimmed but with about 1” of rthe root intact, unpeeled

About 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

8 handfuls mixed salad greens

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (spread out on tray and bake @ 350° for 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown -- watch carefully)

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Individually wrap 4 beets in foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a paring knife, 45 to 60 minutes.
   
3. Let cool. Rub beets with paper towels to remove skins and cut into cubes. 

4. Toss beets with about /4 cup Apple Cider Vinaigrette and parsley and allow to marinate if time allows.
   
5. Fill a platter (or individual salad plates if preferred) with salad greens.
6. Top greens with marinated beets, blue cheese and toasted pine nuts.
   
7. Add enough Apple Cider Vinaigrette to coat salad greens . . . or pass the salad dressing if preferred. 

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1/4 cup apple cider

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons agave syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced onions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
   
2. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
   
3. Stir in minced onions and refrigerate until ready to use.
   

Recipe without photos . . .

Roasted Beet Salad with Blue Cheese & Pine Nuts + Apple Cider Vinaigrette      

8 servings 

4 medium beets (1 1/2 pounds total), scrubbed & trimmed but with about 1” of rthe root intact, unpeeled

About 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

8 handfuls mixed salad greens

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts  (spread out on tray and bake @ 350° for 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown -- watch carefully)

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Individually wrap 4 beets in foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a paring knife, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Let cool. Rub beets with paper towels to remove skins and cut into cubes. 

4. Toss beets with about /4 cup Apple Cider Vinaigrette and parsley and allow to marinate if time allows.
5. Fill a platter (or individual salad plates if preferred) with salad greens.
6. Top greens with marinated beets, blue cheese and toasted pine nuts.
7. Add enough Apple Cider Vinaigrette to coat salad greens . . . or pass the salad dressing if preferred. 

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

1/4 cup apple cider 

1/4 cup white wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons agave syrup 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 cup canola oil 

1 1/2 tablespoons minced onions 

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
2. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. Stir in minced onions and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grape DeLight Salad

     Made this salad a couple of days ago . . . after Heidi Stohs told me about a salad that Amanda Collins had made. I changed it up a bit and we liked it so much that I entered the recipe in a contest that I found on Facebook — Grapes From California (Recipe Contest / View Entries / Meta, Abilene). Check out the recipes under that heading. 
     This is a lightened version of the popular grape salad with cream cheese and pecans.

   

Grape DeLight Salad

Delish, light and refreshing! The well-balanced combination of flavors—sweet, tart and tangy—is incredible. Amounts provided are variable so change it up to please your palate. Lemon flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar really add to the flavor but if they are not available, use the regular “stuff” and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the salad.

2 to 2 ½ cups red California grapes (approx. 1 lb.) – leave whole or cut in half (I left the smaller ones whole and cut the larger ones in half)

1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 to 3 teaspoon honey

2 to 3 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil 

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon flavored balsamic vinegar (we buy our speciality oil & vinegar @ The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Ks.)

Garnish: fresh mint

1. Place grapes in a serving dish.

2. Top with bleu cheese, walnuts, honey, oil and balsamic vinegar. Lightly toss.

3. Garnish with mint.

4. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe without photos or description . . .

Grape DeLight Salad

2 to 2 ½ cups red California grapes (approx. 1 lb.) – leave whole or cut in half (I left the smaller ones whole and cut the larger ones in half)

1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 to 3 teaspoon honey

2 to 3 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon flavored balsamic vinegar (we buy our speciality oil & vinegar @ The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Ks.)

Garnish: fresh mint

1. Place grapes in a serving dish.

2. Top with bleu cheese, walnuts, honey, oil and balsamic vinegar. Lightly toss.

3. Garnish with mint.

4. Chill until ready to serve.

Savory Appetizer -- Blue Cheese, Bacon & Onion Cheesecake

     Created by The Culinary Center of Kansas City, this is one of their "best" recipes. On CCKC's blog and in  their cookbook, “Best Recipes", they state, "This recipe blow’s ‘em away every time. It is rich and sinful and guests can’t get enough of it. We serve it often at catered special events and have received so many requests for this dish that we now offer the recipe for your own collection. They freeze well, too! You can’t go wrong with this one."

     The recipe is made in a large (10") springform pan so it feeds a crowd. However, once you cut into a large cheesecake, it immediately begins to have a somewhat "messy" appearance. When I was catering, I purchased small springform pans and would divide the mixture among four 4.5" pans. That way, as guests finish one cheesecake, a fresh one can be exchanged. 

     And, for small dinner parties, I simply cut the recipe in fourth and fill one small springform pan.
     Serving: Provide crackers and a spreader and let guests dive in. Or, I've also cut it into wedges, plated it (with a few crackers) and served it at the table as a first course.

Blue Cheese, Bacon & Onion Cheesecake     Makes 20 to 25 servings. 

Crust

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

2 pounds cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1/2 pound bacon, cooked & crumbled

1 onion, diced & sautéed in 2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 to 4 drops hot pepper sauce

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions (green onions), for garnish, or use chopped chives

1.  Preheat oven to 325°. 

2.  For the crusts, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and melted butter.  Press into the bottom of a 10” springform pan.

I use the bottom of a glass to press the crumbs into the pan.

3.  For the filling — In a large bowl thoroughly mix cream cheese, eggs and cream. Stir in bacon, onion, blue cheese, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Scrape into springform pan.  (I set the springform pan on a flat pan in case of leakage.)

Cheesecake is ready to go into the oven.

4.   Bake 45 to 60 minutes (40 to 45 minutes for small pans), until puffed and golden. Turn oven off and allow cheesecake to sit in oven until cool.  

5.   Refrigerate overnight (or for several hours) before removing from pan.  

When cheesecake has cooled, release the lock on the side of the pan.

Use a metal spatula to detach the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.

6.  Serve at room temperature, garnished with the scallions. 

Corny Joke & a Really Good Blue Cheese Dressing

Q. Why did the tomato blush?

A. He saw the salad dressing!

Salad is served!

In this case – Blue Cheese Salad Dressing, Rich and delicious, it is great over wedges of iceberg lettuce but we like it over leaves of Romaine. I like to distribute cubed tomatoes (or quarter cherry or grape tomatoes) and cucumber over the lettuce and then top it with the dressing; crumbled bacon is also a nice addition.

Blue Cheese Dressing     Makes 1 cup

This dressing keeps for up to one week in the refrigerator.

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup blue cheese chunks (buy it in a chunk and crumble it yourself for the best flavor)

¼ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

3 to 4 drops of hot sauce (Tabasco), or to taste

Kosher salt and coarse pepper, to taste

1.     Whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

2.     Chill at least an hour before serving to allow flavors to blend.

3.     If thick, then out with a little milk.

Romaine leaves topped with chopped cucumber,
quartered grape tomatoes and
topped with chunky blue cheese dressing.