Fresh tender corn, plump juicy tomatoes-does anything spell S U M M E R any better? Whether you're growing them yourself, or get them at your friendly farmers' market, these treats come together beautifully in a savory summer favorite.

It's a pie that's cheesy and full of garden veggies and bright flavors. Just place Tomato Corn Pie filling atop your favorite pie crust and you have a winning dinner entre or side dish, as well as a filling breakfast.

I found this wonderful recipe in a book by the founder of Georgia's Southern Baked Pie Company and cookbook author, Amanda Wilbanks (see her book, Southern Baked: Celebrating Life With Pie).

Amanda says no matter what pie crust recipe you use, the secret to a flakey and successful crust is to always use very cold ingredients. It's THE trick to making delicious pie dough. Dough texture depends on starting with very cold butter and ice cold water. Amanda even chills her flour, salt, and sugar.

We think this is truly one of summer's special pies. Why not pull out your treasured pie crust recipe and mix up a batch of this pie filling for a wonderful dinner tonight?

Fresh Tomato Corn Pie Filling

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 2,076.637

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise (Duke's is best), but any will work
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese


Directions:

1. Roll favorite pie crust recipe out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Place it into a 9-inch pie plate and flute the edges.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Place tomato slices on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt; set aside. Whisk together the Duke's mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, basil, and pepper in a small bowl. (Tip: Wilbanks recommends Duke's mayonnaise because of its sugar-free, vinegar base.)
4. Sprinkle the bottom of pie crust with 1/4 cup cheese. Arrange half of the tomatoes over the cheese and sprinkle with corn. Cover the tomatoes with half of the mayonnaise mixture. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, and mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
5. Bake for one hour, or until bubbly. Cover with aluminum foil if cheese begins to brown too quickly.

NOTE: Sliced green onions, diced bell peppers, and chopped fresh spinach are tasty additions to this filling.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.

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If Tomato Corn Pie is one of summer's special pies, what's the other one? Why, tastes-like-apple zucchini pie, of course (aka Mock Apple Pie).

During World War II, apples got expensive. Transporting fruit from one area of the country to another wasn't easy to do when rail transportation and gasoline were saved for the troops. Zucchini were easy to grow in victory gardens, and they came into season long before apples were ready for picking.

America has a long history with fake pies, most stemming from the desperation of the Depression: There's the Mock Apple Pie from the back of the Ritz Cracker box, where a hot syrup is poured over crumbled Ritz crackers in a pie shell. There's the kidney bean version of pecan pie, where the cheap beans take on the crunchiness of nuts.

But back to zucchini. We all know their problem is how fast they grow. Leave your garden untended for a weekend trip and you'll come back to find those green batons have morphed into baseball bats.

We all know, as well, that zucchini giants aren't easy to use: Once they get longer than your hand, they also become tough. The giants are best for the compost bin. But if you wind up with a pile of just large zucchini, not monsters, it's time to pull out the zucchini pie recipe.

While times have changed, and apples are easy to now, this delicious dessert is still worth a try. It's worth revisiting a pie like this today because it gives us some appreciation of how people dealt with scarcity (not a bad thing to know).

But it's also a really good pie. It's not as sweet as a real apple pie, and has a more complex flavor. Zucchini, even peeled, keeps a hint of green at the edges, looking a lot like Granny Smith slices. So check your garden (or your neighbor's) to see how the zucchini are coming along. When they get to the large stage, try this other special pie of summer.

Tastes-Like-Apple Zucchini Pie

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 1,876

Ingredients:

4 to 6 larger zucchini
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons chilled butter cut into pieces, divided


Directions:

Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler, removing all the green skin. Cut in half lengthwise. Use the edge of a spoon to scrape out the seeds from the center, then cut each piece in half lengthwise again, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. You'll need about 6 cups of sliced zucchini.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the zucchini, reduce the heat to medium and cook briefly, about 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain well in a colander, then place in a mixing bowl with lemon juice and salt.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cream of tartar, flour, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add to the zucchini and mix well.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with your favorite pie crust. Dump the zucchini mixture, juices and all, into the crust, and dot with 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into small bits. Cover with a top crust, turning the edges under and crimping. Cut several vents in the top with the tip of a sharp knife, then scatter the remaining pieces of butter over the crust.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until golden-brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

From From Dori Sanders' COUNTRY COOKING.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.