If you haven’t used Taleggio before, now is the perfect time to try it. Don’t be put off by the smell; this cheese has a very mild flavor and is an ideal complement to fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients
Makes one 9" pie
2½
3
¾
¼
6
½
9
2
10
2½
½
1
1
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 475°. Arrange tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, covering entire surface (it’s okay if they overlap). Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes begin to look dry on top, 25–30 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook garlic and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling often, until butter foams and milk solids turn golden, 5–8 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup; transfer garlic and toasty bits to a cutting board. Finely chop and set aside.
Step 3
Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Pulse crackers and ¼ tsp. salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form (you should have about 2 cups). Add eggs and 6 Tbsp. garlic butter and pulse until mixture is the consistency of wet sand.Transfer to springform pan. Using a flat-sided measuring cup, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and 1½" up sides of pan. Bake crust until fragrant and edge is just starting to take on color, 8–10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let crust cool.
Step 4
Mix Taleggio, Parmesan, mayonnaise, chopped thyme, remaining ½ tsp. salt, remaining ¼ tsp. pepper, and reserved chopped garlic in a medium bowl. Gently dollop half of cheese mixture over bottom of crust, then spread into an even layer with an offset spatula (don’t press too hard or you will break the crust). Layer half of tomato slices over and press down to even out layers. Repeat with remaining cheese mixture and tomatoes. Brush remaining garlic butter over tomatoes. Top with shallot, then scatter thyme leaves over.
Step 5
Bake pie until filling bubbles vigorously and crust is browned, 60–75 minutes. Let cool 1 hour before serving.
Step 6
Do Ahead: Pie can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and chill (it’s really good cold).
Leave a Review
Reviews (44)
Back to TopI love this recipe as do friends that I have served it too. I did lighten the recipe up by reducing amount of cheese and Mayo.
Lillyz
Clayton ga
6/15/2023
This was beautiful, and gross. Very enjoyable to make, but the crust was flat and bleh, and the flavors just didn't work. I think changing up the crackers on the crust and the herbs, maybe adding some ricotta or something,I don't know, but this was a hot mess, ended up throwing it away.
Sarah
Austin, CO
11/14/2021
So good! I subbed in Simple Mills almond crackers and earth balance dairy free butter for the crust, basil instead of tarragon, and manchego for the cheese as I had it on hand. This was a great use of extra black krim tomatoes from the garden- I would definitely make this again.
Anonymous
St. Paul, MN
9/29/2021
I have made this recipe twice now. It is time intensive. I’d recommend having a friend over and doing it together so it feels like you’re making an event out of it. But I really enjoyed it both times and am surprised by the negative comments. My mom loves tomatoes so I’ve made it two late summers in a row for her, using heirloom tomatoes when they’re perfectly in season. Maybe these additions will help? What I do: For the tomatoes - I saw someone had mentioned they felt they were too soggy, so I sprayed a baking/cooling rack with olive oil spray and put that on top of a baking sheet. Then layered the tomatoes on the rack, added salt and pepper, and drizzling with olive oil. That way any excess water could drain to the sheet. Some may stick, but if you layer them like the directions say, you’ll still have plenty whole slices. However, you’re never going to get completely air-dried, chip-like tomatoes if that’s what you think this recipe is. For the crust: I use nabisco whole wheat wheat thins. I have no idea if this is correct or not, but it adds a slight sweetness to the crust since they have a little sugar. I’ve also made the same mistake twice now where I accidentally skip over the part where you reserve 2 tbsp of garlic butter to brush on top, and end up pouring the whole mixture into my ground wheat thins. I know some people say their crust is brittle - I’ve never had that problem, possibly because of the extra butter? I’m not much of a baker so not sure. I have a double oven, so I put it in the other oven rather than try and get the temp from 475 down to 375, and then bake it for 8 mins. After that, I poke 2-3 little toothpick holes in the bottom of the crust in case the fat from all the cheese needs a little drainage, layer in the ingredients and brush a little butter on top. Then I place the springform pan on top of another baking sheet rather than directly on the rack and bake for the lower option of 60 mins. Again, as I’m not a baker, this might be all wrong, but it’s come out tasting good to me. Finally, I love the tip someone mentioned of freezing the talleggio a little so it’s easier to grate! Will try that next time.
ASW
Austin, TX
8/22/2021
The crust was very crumbly, and it took about 3.5 hours to make. It did make enough food for many meals (which is good because all that Taleggio & tomatoes were expensive!) but in the end I'm not sure it was worth all the fussy ingredients and consecutive oven processes.
Paulina
12/13/2020
I tried this recipe twice, and both times were a disaster: the first time I used heirloom tomatoes, and they were far too watery; the second time, I used one-the-vine tomatoes, which seemed more appropriate. Both times, the pie came out too dark, and didn't have a tremendous amount of flavor. Also, I was confused as to whether the pie was meant to bake at 375 as it never really says (although it is implied). In the end, it turned out to be an expensive disaster (twice), even though I followed the directions step-by-step (save switching the type of tomato the second time).
coakland
Austin, Texas
9/9/2020
Deeeelicious. One big adaptation is that I used a nut crust instead. BA's ganache tart nut crust from last winter (no sugar) using almonds, add 1/4 C toasted sesame seeds, a few caraway crackers to help bind, and then the eggs and garlic butter from the tomato pie recipe. Turned out great and added good crunchy crunch. I love the tang from the mayo, the fresh thyme. People went back for thirds. This is an inspired recipe and looks beautiful. Thanks BA.
obglassy
san francisco
9/7/2020
Fantastic! Made this on July 4th. Used American Brie and and Wheat Thins. Both risks, but this pie can be flexible. Going to make it again this weekend. Worth the time and effort. Definitely not quick or simple. simply delicious.
Anonymous
Northern California
9/5/2020
This is a really delicious pie. I swapped taleggio for fontina but left the rest the same. The tomatoes were a perfect match with the garlicky cheese mixture. Agree with some other reviewers that the crust is weirdly leaky, even though mine was not as crumbly as some other folks.
Anonymous
9/3/2020
The filling was very tasty but the crust was a huge thumbs down. Crumbly and after baking for so long (the par-bake and then the long baking time in the oven), it tasted burnt. Also found that it was greasy and lots of melted fat leaked out of the springform. My kids would not touch this despite being good eaters; FYI roasting heirloom tomatoes for 30 minutes does not make them "dry." So you have to be okay with mushy tomatoes which I am, but the kids aren't. When making tomato pie again, I might borrow some of the filling elements from this pie, but I will use one of my older tried and true recipes that are less fancy but easier and come out better.
Anonymous
Maine
8/30/2020
I loved, loved, loved this recipe. I put the Tallegio in the freezer to make it easier to grate. The crust came out perfectly, It didn't crumble when I cut it to serve. I would totally make it again.
exfirebabe
Telluride
8/24/2020
This was a bit of a production but worth it! Very adaptable recipe. Did not have Taleggio so used cheap shredded domestic parm and it still melted well. Had fresh basil from garden and subbed that for the thyme. Used a mix of red and yellow tomatoes from the garden, which used pretty. Only thing the recipe really should be more specific about is the crackers. Stoned wheat thins are too grainy so will try whole grain saltines or Breton next time.
Anonymous
Chapel Hill
8/23/2020
This was incredible and so popular. I made it the day ahead and served it chilled. I am very surprised to see negative reviews and think that those people must have messed something up, because the recipe is perfect. I used original Breton crackers for the crust. Another review said their crust was too thick...when pressing the crust into the pan, just make it the thickness you want it?! If you follow the instructions using a 9” springform and make the crust go 1.5” up the side, the crust is just thin enough and holds together very well. The slices came out beautifully without any crumbling, like some people complained about in their reviews. Perhaps they didn’t pulse their crumbs long enough. I subbed whatever cheese we had in the house - more parm, Asiago, and pecorino. I just blitzed them all together in the food processor and the combo was excellent. People also complained in reviews about the tomato slices begging difficult to transfer to the pie....use a large spatula to help, then they won’t fall apart. Just a little bit of common sense... 3 of us almost ate the entire pie for lunch - everyone had seconds. It was described as the tastiest fancy pizza, something you might get a fancy brunch place, and something you want in your fridge at all times. There were a few steps, so it isn’t a super simple recipe, but each of the steps on their own were not complicated or difficult. This is so good. Make it. Just follow the instructions and you shouldn’t have any issues.
BQH90
Toronto, Canada
8/16/2020
So tasty! I substituted Vans GF roasted veggie crackers and Good Thins GF garden veggie crackers. with excellent results- surprisingly so. Also could not find Telaggio cheese so I used Brie and it was delicious. Definitely making again before tomato season ends.
Heather Korsu
Chepachet RI
8/12/2020
My sister has made this recipe twice and I want to make it as well, but need a gluten free option for the crackers. Any suggestions please?
exfirebabe
Telluride, CO
8/10/2020