While preparing a tomato pie as my contribution to a party hosted by my friend Susie, I spied a tub of store-bought pimento cheese in my fridge and decided to try freestyling my recipe. The results were immediate: empty pie pan! The pie is fantastic with my Ritualistic Pimento Cheese, but a good-quality commercial brand like Palmetto is a great stand-in.
4 large ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt
1 refrigerated pie crust (or frozen deep-dish pie crust)
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
¼ cup cooked, crumbled bacon
8 basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus basil leaves for garnish (optional)
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1. Place the tomatoes on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle generously with the salt, and let stand for about 1 hour. Pat dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Unroll the pie crust and fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold and crimp the edges. (Skip this step if using a frozen crust). Prick the dough with a fork, line with parchment paper, and fill with uncooked beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the beans or rice and paper, and set aside.
3. In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Brush the mustard all over the baked pie shell.
4. Arrange one-third of the tomato slices on the bottom of the pie crust and sprinkle with half of the bacon, half of the sliced basil, and half of the pepper. Spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over the tomatoes. Arrange half of the remaining tomato slices over the mayonnaise mixture and sprinkle with the remaining bacon, sliced basil, and pepper. Spread the pimento cheese evenly over the tomatoes, and then arrange the remaining tomato slices on top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges begin to bubble. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Garnish with the basil leaves, if desired, and serve.