Roasted cherry tomatoes, basil and cheese pie.

I love Thursday evenings. Who doesn't? More when they are accompanied by a good bruschetta, some cheese to nibble on and a glass of wine. Ripe tomatoes on bread that has been rubbed with cloves of garlic (I adore garlic) and lots of fresh basil.  Mature and pungent cheddar and fruity parmesan on my platter.

But there are times when I want a little more than just a bruschetta but with the same flavours and ofcourse when I have a little more time on hand. And that is when I make this pie. 

The pie crust is lovely. Buttery, firm yet flaky and the trio of cheese, basil and paprika join the butter to make the crust truly sublime. The classic combination of tomatoes, basil and garlic works beautifully with the mustard and cheese in the filling. Also go ahead and add some ham, if you'd like. I like it just the way it is, though.

I hope you have fun trying this recipe and you get as much joy as my family & friends get by biting into it.

Roasted cherry tomatoes, basil and cheese pie (Makes one seven inch pie)

Ingredients
For the pie crust
200 grams of all purpose flour, sifted
100 grams of cold butter, cut into cubes
25 grams of grated cheddar cheese
25 grams of grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp of dry basil
¼ tsp of paprika
Salt to taste
¼ to ½ cup ice cold water

For the filling
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup of olive oil
2 whole cloves of garlic, with their peel on
1/8 tsp of dry basil
25 grams of grated cheddar cheese
25 grams of grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp good mustard
¼ tsp basil
1/8  tsp of paprika

Instructions:

To make the pie crust:
1.Rub the cold diced butter into the flour till it gets all crumbly and the crumbs are pea-sized. Next add the grated parmesan and cheddar, dry basil, paprika and salt.
2.Add the ice cold water, just enough to bring it all together into a dough.
3.Wrap the dough into a cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4.Roll out the dough and line a 9 inch pie tin with it. Cover it with baking paper and fill it with red kidney beans and blind bake it for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius.
5.Remove the paper and the beans and bake for another 10 minutes.

To make the filling:
1.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Take the tomato halves and give it a good mix with the olive oil, whole cloves of garlic, dry basil and a pinch of salt.
2.Transfer into a baking tray and bake it for 10 minutes. Cool. Remember to remove the garlic cloves.
3.Combine the grated cheddar, parmesan, egg and mustard and fill the pie crust with it.
4.Put the cooled tomatoes on top of the cheesy mix and sprinkle it generously with fresh basil leaves and some paprika for colour.
5.Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
6.Serve warm. Enjoy.