Easy As Pie Tomato Pie

I met Glutenfree Girl or Shauna James Ahern on twitter while whining about attending my first foodie conference, the giganaramous and impressive IACP Conference in Austin. She was kind enough to tweet at me and reassure me that'd she'd been in a similar boat not too long ago and I'd be okay. Now, I'd heard of Shauna, read her blog and recent cookbook (Loved the sweet lovestory of her and the chef)and so I was totally wowed that she took the time. In Austin, I did feel kind of lost but there were too many nice people around for me to stay that way for too long. I even managed to say hi to Shauna.

So when I saw @glutenfreegirl tweeting about #pieparty, well I just had to jump in to the fun :)

My 9-year-old recently brought home Easy as Pie by Cari Best and Melissa Sweet.

I simply adored the book, maybe even more than my son. The book celebrates the joys of the kitchen, but also touches important themes like cooperation, finishing up tasks, cleaning up your messes and working for a solution-- all without preaching but through baking. In fact, young and adult bakers should all try and follow ~

Chef Monty's Baking Rules:

1. A happy baker bakes a happy pie.
2. Concentrate on what you're doing no matter what.
3. If something unexpected happens,fix it as best as you can.
4. Always leave your kitchen as you found it.
5. Don't give up even when what you're making doesn't look the way it's supposed to.
6. A baker can always use some help.
7. Always finish what you start.
8. A pie is ready when it's ready and not a minute before!

Besides the rules and the story, the book also comes with a "Happy Peach Pie" recipe on the back. By the end of our reading, we were both ready to bake.

Only problem was an untimely frost killed off our peach blossoms and this summer I have zero peaches. But I had buckets of tomatoes! So we used Rule #3.

The recipe called for refrigerated pie dough and well, keeping things simple is one of my cardinal rules. So went with refrigerated pie dough.

Now a lot of tomato pie recipes call for Mayo, never liked the stuff: so went with a quiche-style filling. The kids took turns whisking the egg mixture. Threw in some sliced onions and micro-Thai Basil from the garden. Layer everything in starting with the cheese.

Add the egg batter.

Popped it into a 375 degrees oven for 35 minutes. Let it cool and served it to the family.

Verdict:

Six-year-old: We are like the cooking shows on tv. We cook, cook, cook, take pictures, finally eat and then we judge it.

Well this one got thumbs up all around the table.

Recipe:

1 unbaked 9-inch refrigerated pie crust, set into the pie pan
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, divided
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 small yellow onion sliced
1 tablespoon micro-basil leaves or slivered basil
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Have the unbaked pie crust in the pan, ready.

Sprinkle the mozzarella and 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese on the bottom of the crust,single layer tomatoes, onions and basil on top.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning and flour. Pour it into the pie shell. Sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

You can add a few more slices of tomatoes on top.

Bake 35 minutes. Serve with a side salad.

I even like this cold and could eat if for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Step-By-Step Crepe Making

My first foodie conference --the International Association of Culinary Professionals' 33rd annual conference in Austin last week--was intense.

From Wednesday to Saturday, I attended sessions, took notes like crazy, and met people from all over the world. Sessions started as early as 7 a.m. and ended as late as midnight. I saw so many personal kitchen heroes (Dorie Greenspan, Martin Yan, Nancie McDermott and more) and writing heroes (Robb Walsh, Kim Severson)that I SQUEED myself hoarse. So Sunday, instead of rushing home, I took some much needed downtime.

The family and I woke up early and explored downtown Austin. By 8 a.m. we were ready for breakfast, unfortunately Austin is a brunch town. Then we lucked in to Le Cafe Crepe at 200-A San Jacinto, which served a multitude of sweet and savory crepes. Better still, the cafe had a glassed in kitchen. A meal and a show. WooHoo!

The ladies behind the glass worked fast, fingers and crepes flying in a blur. As I watched, my hands itched to grab the camera. But I hesitated. Would whipping out a camera be considered a faux pas?

Then award-winning, globe-trotting photographer Penny De Los Santos spoke in my head. I remembered her sharing the story of a photo shoot in India, where she hunkered down in front of a group of men and waited "until they forgot about the crazy American woman and her camera."

I took a deep breath and decided to be the crazy Asian woman with the camera. Thanks IACP for a great conference!

The ladies working crepe magic at La Cafe Crepe.

Pour the Batter

And spread it out.

Let it cook until light golden

Flip it!

Swirl the chocolate into an artsy pattern.

Fold in half and spread the Nutella. Yum!
And fold again...

And here's the finished product:Chloe's Crepe w/Nutella, strawberries, chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

Here's the inside of what my crepe looked like ~ a feta, spinach, tomato, avocado concotion.

The Cowboy got the Norwegian: smoked salmon, boursin with herbs,tomatoes, capers.

As George, part-owner of the cafe, would say: "Bon Appetit, Y'all!"

The Cowboy & the kids loved their crepe, I had a blast, and --I'd like to think-- the gracious staff of Le Cafe Crepe (once they got used to me and the camera) had fun. Penny was right, celebrate your subjects and they will welcome you with smiles. What an honor to be able to capture the art of crepe making.