Tomato and Cheddar Pie

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes 1 cup buttermilk

Filling:
2 pounds large ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4" slices
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (8–9 ounces)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (1/2 ounce)
1 scallion, trimmed, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal

STEPS:
For crust:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms and some small lumps remain. Stir in buttermilk and knead gently with your hands until dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

For filling:
Lay tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with 2 layers of paper towels. Place another 2 layers of paper towels on top of tomatoes. Let stand for 30 minutes to drain.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to an 11" round. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Invert dough onto pie dish. Carefully peel off plastic wrap.

Toss both cheeses in a medium bowl until evenly incorporated. Reserve 1/4 cup of cheese mixture. Whisk scallion, mayonnaise, dill, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over bottom of crust, then top with 1/2 cup cheese mixture. Arrange 1/3 of tomatoes over cheese, overlapping as needed. Spread half of mayonnaise mixture (about 1/3 cup) over. Repeat layering with 1 cup of cheese mixture, 1/2 of remaining tomato slices, and remaining mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese mixture over, then remaining tomato slices. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup cheese mixture. Fold overhanging crust up and over edges of tomato slices.

Bake pie until crust is golden and cheese is golden brown, 35-40 minutes (check crust halfway and tent with foil if it's getting too dark). Let pie cool at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours before slicing and serving.

The Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Arts Center
1600 Government Street
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
228-818-2878
www.themaryc.org
www.themaryc.org/Tickets/ Index.html

The Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center is the keystone of the public arts community in Ocean Springs. Located in the historic Ocean Springs Public School Building on Government Street, the Center provides a diverse set of programs and facilities for the arts.
It is open Tuesday – Saturday 10a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
It offers art classes, theatric performances and culinary arts cooking classes.

Upcoming Events:
Food For Thought Cooking Program: How to get the most from Tomatoes in your Gardens, Containers and Flower Beds. Thursday, June 14th, 6pm - 8 pm. Tickets - $15

2012 “Food for Thought” program focus is "Grow Something You Can Consume". The Mary C. is offering four events in the first 2012 series with a focus on inspiring individuals to grow something that they can consume.

There will be live cooking stations serving menu items that are themed to the evening’s topic. There will also be an expert who will do a presentation and answer guests questions.

Food and beverages will be served.

About the Chef:
Anita Nobles Arguelles is the Director of the Culinary Arts Café. Anita came to the Mary C. with a background built working with fortune 500 companies. She retired from her career as Director of Marketing and New Product Development for an ATM company to pursue a lifelong passion of organizing classes on the arts and is currently creating and teaching culinary arts to Mississippi Gulf Coast residents.