Mr. Bunzendahl’s Green Tomato Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups / 213g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups / 170g cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon find sea salt
• 8 tablespoons one stick unsalted butter, diced and chilled
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or lard in rough pieces, (chilled)
• 1/2 cup cold whole milk
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 5 cups diced, (unripe green tomatoes (from 2 pounds))
• 1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, (cut into 6 to 8 pieces)
• Vanilla ice cream (for serving (optional))

Instructions

1. 1

   To make the pie crust: Combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse to mix. (For pie dough, a food processor is more effective than a stand mixer. The blade of the food processor does a better job of mixing the ingredients, and it is helpful to be able to see into the side of the food processor’s clear bowl.) Add the butter and shortening. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarsely, ground cornmeal, and no large pieces of butter or shortening remain visible.

2. 2

   Combined the milk and vinegar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Remove the lid of the food processor and sprinkle the milk mixture evenly over the top of the flour. Replace the lid and pulse just until the dough begins to form a ball. Add more cold milk if needed.

3. 3

   Very lightly dust a work surface with flour and scrape all the dough bits out onto it. Gather and press into a ball then divide the dough in half (about 358 g each). Press each half into a 6-inch disk, wrap each separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough until firm at least 1 hour, or overnight.

4. 4

   To make the filling: Toss the green tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a colander and set aside over a large bowl or in the sink for 30 minutes to drain.

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 375°F.

6. 6

   Roll one pie crust between two sheets of parchment or wax paper to a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Fit the circle into a standard 9-inch pie pan. Fold and crimp the edge with the tines of a fork. Line the crust with a piece of aluminum foil and fill the pie with weights or dried beans. (This will help prevent shrinkage and puffing while the crust bakes.) Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the foil and pie weights, then set aside.

7. 7

   As pie bottom parbakes, roll out the other dough disk into a 10 to 11-inch circle. (The top crust can be slightly smaller in diameter and slightly thicker than the bottom crust, since it does not have to cover as much surface area.) To later easily transfer the dough, place it on a piece of wax paper, plastic wrap, or parchment.

8. 8

   Combine the remaining 1 1/3 cups of sugar, tapioca, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon zest and juice in a large bowl and mix well; the mixture will look like wet sand. Shake the colander of diced tomato over the sink to drain the excess moisture from the tomatoes, then add them to the sugar-spice mixture. Toss gently to combine. Spoon the tomato filling into the parbaked bottom crust mounding it in the center. Dot the top with the butter.

9. 9

   If your bottom dough doesn’t seem sticky, brush some of the filling juices in the pie on the edge to serve as “glue”. Drape the unbaked rolled-out dough over the pie and seal the edges by pressing together with a fork all the way around or crimping with your fingers. Cut four or five vents in the top crust with the tip of a sharp knife. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the top crust is a deep golden brown, and you can see the filling bubbling through the vents.

10. 10

    Let the pie cool on a rack completely before cutting. The rest time allows the filling to set, but it will not become completely firm. I promise, the juice is so good, you will not complain. Slice the pie at room temperature and serve ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.