[easy] tomato pie

Y'all. I've mentioned my love for tomato pie before, but I always seem to forget about it until I'm in the thick of sweet, garden grown tomatoes that need a vehicle other than white bread and mayo to my mouth.

A traditional southern tomato pie has sliced tomatoes, caramelized onions, and a topping of cheese and mayo filling a pie crust. It's heaven. My favorite version is the recipe from Vivian Howard and it's worth every minute of the time it takes to make. You should watch the whole episode from A Chef's Life if you haven't heard of tomato pie before.

This isn't Vivian's tomato pie. This is a lady's fast craving for tomatoes and goat cheese happiness. This is my easy-peasy version of tomato pie.

The first thing you're going to do is take your beautiful tomatoes and either cut them in half if they're cherry or slice them. I had the most lovely organic heirloom cherry tomatoes from Green Thumb Farms in Sturgis, Michigan to work with.

Once you cut them in half, put them in a colander and sprinkle them with a nice dose of salt. I probably used 2 teaspoons of salt and then tossed them around. Let them drain to get rid of excess moisture.

We're going to be cheaters here with a crust of refrigerator crescent rolls. After you pre-bake the crust, layer it up with an herby goat cheese, caramelized garlicy onions, and your sweet tomatoes. Bake it until the tomatoes just start to wrinkle.

My favorite way to eat this is at room temperature. You can eat it warm or cold too, but room temp is where it's at.

Tomato Pie
-2 pints cherry tomatoes or 4-5 slicing tomatoes [slice your tomatoes and place them in a colander, sprinkle with salt - about 2 tsp - and let drain for 30 minutes]

-1 package crescent rolls [press into a pie plate and bake until golden brown, if it puffs up too much press it back with a fork while it's hot]

-1 medium onion
-2 cloves garlic

Caramelize the onions until they're soft and sweet. Add the garlic to the onions and cook slightly.

-1 log goat cheese (about 10 oz), room temp
-1 Tbsp fresh thyme
-1 Tbsp fresh basil
-1 tsp fresh ground pepper
-1/2 tsp salt

Combine the goat cheese, herbs, and seasoning together.

Once everything is ready to layer up, spread the herby goat cheese in your crust. Top with the caramelized onions and finally add the tomatoes. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min or until the tomatoes have started to wrinkle. Let the pie come to room temperature before serving.