One thing I love about dining at other restaurants is enjoying new combinations of ingredients, and new techniques. After I enjoy the meal before me, my mind can't help but think "how did they..." or "what if I..." in regards to improving, changing, or riffing on it. A dish I look forward to every year is the tomato pie mac and cheese at Spotted Salamander, a local catering company and popular lunch spot. I get it several times throughout the summer when it's available, but I've always thought "what other carbs could tomato pie go on top of?"
Tomato pie grits, perhaps?
It took me a few years to sync up my creative availability with the season (plus, okay fine, remembering to do it) but finally, tomato pie grits have arrived.
Is it breakfast? Lunch? Brunch? Who cares! It's a new twist on tomato pie, and if you're like me, you are overwhelmed with luscious, fresh summer tomatoes this time of year. That's not a bad place to be, but the rush to not waste a single one is on. These are Johns Island tomatoes, native to South Carolina. You can use any type of good, large tomato you like though. Heirloom flavors shine through well in this dish, so it's a good place to feature them if you've got access to good ones.
It's getting towards the end of the best part of tomato season, so make this soon. And that reminds me, I need to get tomato pie mac and cheese from Spotted another time or two too!
Tomato Pie Grits
Equipment
- 2 quart casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 1 cup grits (not instant)
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large tomatoes sliced ¼" thick
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese grated
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ onion diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes. Set aside, and place on a paper towel to drain while preparing other ingredients. You can use salt here to draw out even more moisture if you wish.
- Set one sheet of puff pastry out to thaw.
- Prepare the grits according to package directions. When done, mix in ½ cup cheese.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown. Set aside, off heat, once done.
- Mix together the remaining cheese, mayonnaise, herbs, and seasonings.
- Now it's time to assemble. Spray a 2 quart capacity casserole dish. Spread the grits on the bottom of the dish in an even layer.
- Scatter the sauteed onions evenly across the grits.
- Layer the tomatoes on top of the onions, overlapping a bit as necessary.
- Spread the cheese mayo mixture on top of the tomatoes. I use my fingers and try to evenly drop blobs around the top rather than trying to spread it with an offset spatula.
- Finally, use a knife or scissors to cut the puff pastry into pieces to where it covers as much as possible of the top of the casserole dish. You may only need ⅔ of the sheet, like I did, or you may need the whole thing. Try not to overlap the puff pastry here if possible.
- Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, and an additional 10 minutes if needed to lightly brown the top. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately. You can reheat the leftovers, but only for 1 day, otherwise it gets too soggy.
What kind of casserole dish to use?
I used a two quart Le Creuset oval casserole dish, but you can use any two quart minimum capacity dish. The wider is it, the thinner your finished dish will be, so keep that in mind.
Looking for more tomato pie recipes?
