I’m (Amelia) typing this on the day we are to have Tomato Slab Pie for dinner, and let me tell you what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about succulent tomato juices, seeping into soft biscuits crowned by crispy, crackly cheese. I’m thinking about gem like tomatoes dancing with herbs, I’m thinking about this in my belly. I’m thinking it’s going to be a good day.
Pie for dinner becomes more acceptable in the best way imaginable here: tender tomatoes screaming with sweetness in marriage with creamy cheese, mayo, and tomatoes’ favorite herbs. If you’re a vegetarian-comfort-food type, make this. If you like meat for dinner, here’s a scrumptious side dish. Seriously. (Note: only make during the summer when tomatoes are at their best. Dreary tomatoes will produce a dreary pie.) Yesterday, after finishing the pie leftovers for lunch, Mom turned to Dad and said, “I’m going to need to make that again really soon.”
Tomato Slab Pie
Serves 10
1 recipe biscuit dough (recipe below)
4 to 6 large ripe tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick or less (Sam likes 6 or more; I’m more than happy with 5)
3 ears corn, cut from cob (or 1 1/2 cups frozen)
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, rolled up and sliced into a chiffonade
3 tablespoons chives
1 cup shredded cheese—cheddar, gruyere, and colby jack all taste great
Zest of 1 lemon and half of its juice
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
Adorn with cooking spray (or lightly grease) the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan. Spread out the biscuit dough to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the dough with a layer of sliced tomatoes, and sprinkle them with a scant half teaspoon of salt, several grinds of pepper, half the basil and chives, 1 cup corn, and 1/2 cup cheese. If any of your tomato slices are homely, include them in this bottom layer. That way they’ll get to feel like first pick. Cover with the remaining tomatoes, the remaining corn, salt, pepper, basil, and chives. Zest the lemon over the dish, distributing the zest evenly. Squeeze half of the lemon (or more) over the top. Cover with mayonnaise, dropping it in blobs here and there, then spreading to make a thin layer. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let sit for ten minutes before serving. After your first bite, you may feel an irresistible urge to sing.
BUTTERMILK BISCUIT CRUST
This recipe (in our words and with minor adjustment) is from James Beard’s encyclopedic resource American Cookery.
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold and chopped into 16 pieces
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
Combine all the dry ingredients and whisk them together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and blend in well with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers. The butter should make pea-sized lumps in the flour. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until the dough holds together. Turn out onto a floured board and knead several times, around ten or fifteen. Pat or roll out into a rectangle 9 x 13 inches and lower into a lightly greased (we use cooking spray) 9 x 13-inch pan. .
