Sweet and spicy green tomato pie
Instructions:
- Pastry for doublecrust 9-inch pie;
- 2 to 21⁄2 pounds small to medium green tomatoes;
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest;
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice;
- 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar;
- 1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar;
- 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon;
- 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) butter, cut into small cubes;
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water;
- Cinnamon ice cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400°F.
- To make the pie shell, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll half of the pastry into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper or parchment paper. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the pastry top, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the other half of the pastry into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper or parchment paper. Slide it onto a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Peel and core the tomatoes. Use a vegetable peeler or small serrated knife to peel the tomatoes. (Because they are very firm, the blanching and shocking method used for large amounts of ripe tomatoes will not work.) Use a serrated knife to cut the tomatoes in half from top to bottom and then cut each half crosswise into very thin slices, no more than 1⁄8-inch thick. There should be about 6 cups of sliced tomatoes. Place them in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, allspice, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour over the tomatoes and toss to coat. Pour the tomato mixture into the pie shell and mound it up in the center. Scatter the cubes of butter over the filling. The shell will be very full but the tomatoes will cook down as the pie bakes.
- Cover the filling with the pastry top. Lightly press the edges of the pastry together and trim off any excess to leave a 1⁄2 -inch overhang. Fold under the edge to be even with the rim of the pie plate and crimp to seal. Brush the top lightly with the egg wash, making sure it doesn’t pond up around the edge of the crimped crust. Cut a few slits on top to allow steam to escape.
- Place the pie on the baking sheet in the hot oven. The hot sheet will help cook the bottom pastry and will also catch the inevitable drips. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350°F. Lay a flat sheet of foil over the pie if it is browning too quickly. Continue baking until the crust is golden and any juices that come up through the slits are thick and bubbling, about 35 minutes more. Take the pie off the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before cutting.