Gluten-Free Tomato Slab Pie

You know when someone blogs about something awesome and you’re all–I WANT THAT…like right now? Yeah. That happened to me when I saw this tomato tart that Pioneer Woman made the other day. I had to have it. But unlike 90% of America, I can’t run down to the grocery store and pick up a pre-made, rollable pie crust to make it with.

Nope. I’ve got to make my gluten-free crust from scratch. That’s not a problem, really, unless you forget that you are out of say…tapioca starch…when you’ve already been to two different grocery stores to find the flours to make your crust. Maybe you cry a little. Maybe you pour yourself a glass of wine and decide that you are going to drink your dinner. Maybe your husband offers to go and get your missing ingredient. Maybe…just maybe…you can pull yourself together so dinner can be on the table by 8. On a Thursday. On a school night.

What I’m trying to say, folks, is gather up your ingredients beforehand, and plan this supper for the weekend. It feeds a crowd, and it’s an awesome way to use up all of those tomatoes from this year’s bumper crop! No home grown tomatoes for you? No problemo…most markets have pretty baskets of heirloom cherry tomatoes that will work just fine.

The very hardest part about this recipe is rolling the crust out large enough to fit in a half sheet pan. That and remembering what flours to buy, apparently. Trust me when I say that parchment paper is your friend.

Thanks to my hubs for taking the following photos. They captured the process (and my mood) wonderfully. Ahem.

No! Don’t take a picture of ME–I’m a mess! I forgot to put on an apron! I’m not wearing any makeup! Take a picture of me rolling out the dough.

Dude. Seriously. Not me…the dough.

That’s better.

Once the dough is made and rolled out, it really is a piece of cake..er pie.. to put together. Happily it tastes equally good warm or room temperature and I think it would be perfect picnic or concert in the park fare.

Gluten-Free Tomato Slab Pie

This hearty recipe, adapted from The Pioneer Woman, is enough to feed a crowd. Take it along to a pot luck or picnic, or to a concert in the park. It is wonderful warm and gooey...and great at room temperature too. Make the dough earlier in the day so you are ready to go come dinnertime.

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

• 1 1/4 cups tapioca flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sorghum flour
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, diced
• 4 extra large eggs
• For the filling:
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (mozzarella, jack, pepper jack, fontina are all good here)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 pints of heirloom cherry tomatoes
• handful of basil (or cilantro) leaves, sliced
• 1 more egg...for the eggwash

Instructions

Place the tapioca, cornstarch, sweet rice flour, sorghum flour, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum in your food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the eggs separately in a bowl. Pour through the hole in the top of the processor and pulse until the mixture just comes together in a ball. Flatten into a disk on a sheet of plastic wrap, seal and freeze for 30 minutes to an hour, or until firm. (Or place in the fridge for 3 hours or longer).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your counter and dust lightly with sweet rice flour. Remove the disk from the freezer and place on the parchment. Dust with more rice paper and carefully roll out into a rectangle approximately one inch larger than your (half sheet) pan. Mine is 18x13.

Place the pan upside down on your dough, and quickly flip the dough over into the pan....you might want a friend to help with this part. Tuck the edges under and press into the sides of the pan. Place in the freezer.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Take the crust out of the freezer and top with the shredded cheese and cooked onions. Sprinkle on the parsley and garlic and stud it all over with the cherry tomatoes. Beat the egg with a splash of water and brush all over the edges of the crust.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and tomatoes are beginning to burst. Let pie rest for about 10 minutes, then top with basil leaves. Serve warm or room temperature.

2.5