Cherry Tomato Pie

I knew from the get-go that this year would not be a year of "tomato crazy", when tomatoes in the garden were so plentiful they were driving me nuts. This is the first year gardening at our new house, and we didn't have time to get manure from the farm before I started planting. (This fall though, is a different story. And hopefully next year's garden will be so bountiful I'm giving produce away!)

Even though I'm not growing tons of tomatoes, a good friend at work is, possibly due to the loads of horse manure she incorporated into her raised beds. So she gifts plenty of tomatoes to me and others at work. The August issue of Better Homes & Gardens has a recipe for Cherry Tomato Pie, which inspired my version. I'll note at the end of the recipe which changes I made.

Cherry Tomato Pie (my version)

Crust: (Pat in the Pan crust from Joy of Cooking)
1-1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
2-3 Tbsp heavy cream

Mix the flour, basil and salt together. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. Mix in the cream.

Dump onto a floured surface and need about 10 times. Then pat into a 9" tart pan, on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Bake the crust by itself for about 10 minutes at 375.

Filling:
6 strips bacon, fried
2/3 c grated Parmesan
1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 c fresh basil, finely chopped
2 sprigs oregano, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 oz Chevre
1/4 c Miracle Whip
4 c +/- cherry tomatoes, cut the larger ones in half and leave smaller ones whole

Fry the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan to drain. Keep about 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease in the pan and use it to saute the diced onion until tender.

In a bowl, mix together 1/2 c of the Parmesan, herbs, salt and pepper, Chevre and Miracle Whip.

Arrange the bacon around the edge of the tart pan, as a second layer of "crust".

Then spread the herb-cheese mixture into the tart pan, then cover with the onions, and then the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top.

Bake for 35 minutes at 375.

This is approved for breakfast, lunch,or dinner. Delicious when warm, but also chilled.

What's different:
1. The original recipe called for 2 layers of refrigerator pie crust instead of the homemade crust.
2. The original recipe called for 4 oz cream cheese instead of Chevre.
3. The original recipe used mayo instead of Miracle Whip (but I like the tangy zip!)
4. I added oregano because I had some fresh.
5. The original crust recipe does not have herbs.

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