Juicy tomatoes seem like a soggy choice for a savory pie, but they work beautifully if you treat them right. Just like a berry pie or other sweet fruit pie that tends toward runny, the recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon turns out well regardless of the type of tomato I use when I take extra steps before I layer it into the crust.

I often make this pie with box-ripened tomatoes that are a little less flavorful than peak-of-season ones yet also a bit meatier. But that can vary widely among varieties and even individual tomatoes, so I always start by tossing the tomatoes and onion with salt to draw out their excess juices—a trick I use when pickling and fermenting vegetables. Then I toast the breadcrumbs to dry them out slightly as well. When layered with the tomatoes, they have the same absorptive effect as panko or polenta in Fresh Pear, Goat Cheese, and Rosemary Galette. It’s one of several techniques we’ll be exploring in my November pie-making workshops.
Learn to make Late-Season Tomato Pie