Heirloom Tomato Pie

When I saw a picture of this on the cover of Food Network magazine, I had to make it just because it was so darn pretty.  And turns out, its pretty tasty, too.  This is a quintessential summer dish: tomatoes layered on top of an onion and cheese filling.  Can't go wrong there. 

Heirloom Tomato Pie
adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2 pieces
3/4 cup pecorino-romano cheese plus 3 tablespoons
ice water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 1/4 pounds heirloom tomatoes 
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
pepper


For the crust:
Pulse the flour, cornmeal, and salt in a food processor until combined.  Add in butter and 3 tablespoons pecorino-romano cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  There should be small pea-sized bits of butter throughout.  Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until dough comes together.  You may need to add 1 additional tablespoon of ice water.


Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, and form into a disk.  Wrap up and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.


Put dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 13 inch round.  Transfer dough to a 9 1/2 inch pie plate, folding and crimping the overhang.  Using a fork, pierce the bottom of the crust all over.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line crust with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake until edges are golden, 20 minutes.  Remove foil and beans and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.


For the filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook 15 minutes or until golden.  Put aside to cool.  


Meanwhile, thinly slice tomatoes and toss with 1teaspoon salt in a colander.  Let sit 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.  This will drain some of the liquid off the tomatoes.


Increase oven temp to 375.  Combine remaining peorino-roman cheese, mayonnaise, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons each of chives and parsley, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and sauteed onions.  Spread filling into crust.  Layer tomatoes on top, and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on top.  Bake until tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes.  


Top with remaining 1/2 tablespoon of chives and parsley.  Serve warm or at room temperature.


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