The use of green tomatoes in desserts emerged as an economical way for home cooks to give their families a treat, especially when apples were out of season. This simple and sweet pandowdy is our salute to those crafty cooks.
Green Tomato Pandowdy
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 6 pounds green tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Salted Butter Crust (recipe follows)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a 12-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine tomatoes and lemon zest and juice; toss well. Add flour, ½ cup turbinado sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt; toss gently to coat tomatoes. Transfer to prepared skillet.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll Salted Butter Crust into a 15×8-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Cut dough into 14 (2½-inch) squares. Shingle dough squares on top of tomato mixture, leaving open spaces to let steam escape. Brush milk onto dough, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and press crust pieces down with the back of a spoon so some juices come up over crust. Reduce oven temperature to 375°, and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Let cool for 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream.
Salted Butter Crust
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cold salted butter, cubed
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- In the work bowl of a food processor, place flour and salt; pulse 3 times. Add cold butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly. With processor running, add ¼ cup cold water, and process until dough forms a ball. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
