Corn, Tomato, Basil and Bacon Pie

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Summary: This simple, delicious pie is a summer picnic in one dish!

Yield: serves 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2-3 large tomatoes, sliced 1/2" thick
  • kosher salt
  • 1 large ear of corn, kernels removed
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
  • 1/2 cup purple and green basil, chopped
  • 3-4 slices speck (or regular bacon), chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Bûcheron or other tangy goat cheese, sliced
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sifted flour, salt and pepper, and whisk well. Add milk and oil, and using a fork, stir and mash together until mostly combined. Place dough onto a sheet of waxed paper, cover with another sheet of waxed paper, and roll to 1/8 " - 1/4" thick. Put into a deep pie plate and trim excess.

Bake crust in oven for 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden (use pie weights or beans on foil so the crust doesn't buckle).

While the crust bakes, put the tomato slices and a nice pinch of kosher salt in a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then drain. Add chopped basil and slivered garlic to the tomatoes and set aside.

In a small skillet, cook the speck (or bacon). Once crispy, remove bacon and turn off heat. Pour the corn kernels in that same skillet, stir them around in any drippings, and set aside on another burner. You don't want to cook them much; rather you're just tossing them around in the warm drippings to incorporate that flavor.

When you pull the crust from the oven (leave the oven on),place it on your workstation and begin to layer in the filling: goat cheese, tomato/garlic/basil mixture, shallots, corn, bacon. Finish with tomatoes and drizzle the whole pie with some olive oil and a grind of pepper. Don't worry if the filling is higher than the pie plate; it will settle as it cooks.

Place the pie back into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool and serve at room temp.