Sorry to those of you who are getting a repeat of this recipe. I meant to post this at a later date i.e. today.This is the only Paula Deen recipe I have ever made, but it is a big hit. To be honest, I've never had a bite of it myself, but I constantly bring it to pot luck dinners and it is a big talk among guests, so I trust their judgment. Just be sure to bring more than - one pie feeds about six people.
I am not going to even try to play this off as a healthy, vegetarian side dish. However, there are some things you can do to cut back on the amount of calories you add to this party favor.
I am not going to even try to play this off as a healthy, vegetarian side dish. However, there are some things you can do to cut back on the amount of calories you add to this party favor.
Tomato Pie
2-3 large tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 refrigerated pie shell, such as Pillsbury
1 cup grated white cheese
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup lite mayonnaise, such as Kraft Olive Oil or Smart Balance (NOT Miracle Whip)
coarse salt and pepper
I highly recommend buying your tomatoes at your local farmer's market or getting them from your garden. This recipe does not do well with tough, white tomatoes. You do want to seed your tomatoes, although I didn't skin them as the recipe recommends. Cut off about one inch of the bottom of your tomato and take a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. If you are using several tomatoes-on-the-vine or Romas you can just squeeze and work the seeds out with your hand.
Roll out your pie dough into a 9-inch pie pan. I have used the frozen pie dish for this recipe, but it doesn't work as well. Stab dough with a fork and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
When choosing mayonnaise, do not assume that low fat means "just as acceptable". I will promote Kraft products all day, but you cannot cook with Miracle Whip. I'm not even sure what it is. Duke's makes a great mayonnaise, but I cannot justify the calories. You can make your own from Martha or a lite recipe, but I haven't tried that yet. As soon as we get our chickens and have more eggs than we know what to do with I will let you know how the mayonnaise turns out. The best reduced-fat mayonnaise I have cooked with is Kraft's Mayo with Olive Oil with half the fat and calories but all the 'body' of full-fat mayo.
When choosing your cheese, you can have a lot of power over cutting back calories. Nurtrition Action found that low-fat Cobot and low-fat Sorrento are the best low-fat cheese that still include nutrition. For this recipe I used 75% less-fat Cobot white cheddar and Sorrento low-fat mild cheddar. Paula Deen's recipe calls for mozzarella, which Sorrento makes in low-fat as well. Amounts will vary, apparently. In my kitchen laboratory 8 oz is one cup. But when you buy the shredded cheese packages, 8 oz is two cups. I start with one cup mayonnaise and mix cheese until well blended, no more than 16 oz total. Season with coarse salt and pepper and let sit.
Layer slices of tomato into the bottom of the baked pie crust. After each layer spread basil leaves and green onions over tomato before adding another layer. I could only put two full layers into the pie dish before it started to get too full, but you may have a lot more room if you are using smaller tomatoes. If you feel your basil is not being spread enough across the pie, use some dried basil. I forgot the green onions the last time I made this, which didn't seem to make a difference in taste. I love onions, but if you are without don't feel the need to make an extra trip to the market to buy them.
Cover your sliced tomatoes with the mayo-cheese spread. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven to broil and keep an eye on your pie until the cheese starts to brown, within 3 minutes. Do not eat this pie alone; you must have company to help you.
2-3 large tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 refrigerated pie shell, such as Pillsbury
1 cup grated white cheese
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup lite mayonnaise, such as Kraft Olive Oil or Smart Balance (NOT Miracle Whip)
coarse salt and pepper
I highly recommend buying your tomatoes at your local farmer's market or getting them from your garden. This recipe does not do well with tough, white tomatoes. You do want to seed your tomatoes, although I didn't skin them as the recipe recommends. Cut off about one inch of the bottom of your tomato and take a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. If you are using several tomatoes-on-the-vine or Romas you can just squeeze and work the seeds out with your hand.
Roll out your pie dough into a 9-inch pie pan. I have used the frozen pie dish for this recipe, but it doesn't work as well. Stab dough with a fork and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
When choosing mayonnaise, do not assume that low fat means "just as acceptable". I will promote Kraft products all day, but you cannot cook with Miracle Whip. I'm not even sure what it is. Duke's makes a great mayonnaise, but I cannot justify the calories. You can make your own from Martha or a lite recipe, but I haven't tried that yet. As soon as we get our chickens and have more eggs than we know what to do with I will let you know how the mayonnaise turns out. The best reduced-fat mayonnaise I have cooked with is Kraft's Mayo with Olive Oil with half the fat and calories but all the 'body' of full-fat mayo.
When choosing your cheese, you can have a lot of power over cutting back calories. Nurtrition Action found that low-fat Cobot and low-fat Sorrento are the best low-fat cheese that still include nutrition. For this recipe I used 75% less-fat Cobot white cheddar and Sorrento low-fat mild cheddar. Paula Deen's recipe calls for mozzarella, which Sorrento makes in low-fat as well. Amounts will vary, apparently. In my kitchen laboratory 8 oz is one cup. But when you buy the shredded cheese packages, 8 oz is two cups. I start with one cup mayonnaise and mix cheese until well blended, no more than 16 oz total. Season with coarse salt and pepper and let sit.
Layer slices of tomato into the bottom of the baked pie crust. After each layer spread basil leaves and green onions over tomato before adding another layer. I could only put two full layers into the pie dish before it started to get too full, but you may have a lot more room if you are using smaller tomatoes. If you feel your basil is not being spread enough across the pie, use some dried basil. I forgot the green onions the last time I made this, which didn't seem to make a difference in taste. I love onions, but if you are without don't feel the need to make an extra trip to the market to buy them.
Cover your sliced tomatoes with the mayo-cheese spread. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven to broil and keep an eye on your pie until the cheese starts to brown, within 3 minutes. Do not eat this pie alone; you must have company to help you.
No comments:
Post a Comment