A pie worthy of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (a post by Molly)

After watching a Diners Drive-ins and Dives marathon, one can’t help but be inspired to open her own restaurant, come up with a cute name and a nice location, and spend the entire night coming up with weird and exciting kinds of pie. Maybe that last part was just me, but still.

Since we started this blog and I began to learn how cook new things, pies have been my favorite thing to make. There’s something very rewarding about putting a lot of work into the crust and the filling, and then smelling the fruits of your labor cooking in the oven. I’ve realized, though, that I’ve only made sweet dessert pies for the blog. Not that there’s anything wrong with dessert (trust me there’s not), but there’s so much more you can do with a pie, as I realized after watching the inspirational Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Almost every pie on my menu for my future Diner on the food network show was a savory pie.

The pie that was at the very top of my list was the Caprese Pie. As much as everyone in my family was looking forward to it, it had to be put on hold because of the extreme weather and our house’s lack of air conditioning (and most other modern conveniences). Last Sunday appeared to be the perfect time to put this pie into action, since the weather was mild and my cousin Mari was visiting.

The timing was almost too perfect. The pie was being taken out of the oven just as they pulled up, and was perfectly cooled by the time everyone was settled. With an unconvinced brother to my right and a hungry family around me, I cut into the pie. After getting all the reviews from my family, I have concluded that this recipe is for sure the best thing I ever made. I think Guy Fieri would be proud.

Caprese Pie

1 prepared pie crust. (You can use store-bought if you must. I prefer this recipe.)

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup Basil ripped into smaller pieces

1 cup diced tomatoes

Balsamic Vinegar to brush on

1. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese at the bottom of the pie crust make sure to completely cover the bottom (you should use about 2/3-3/4 of a cup of you mozzarella)

2. Spread basil over the mozzarella (use all the basil)

3. Spread diced tomatoes over basil (use all basil)

4. Cover the pie with the rest of the mozzarella cheese so none of the tomato is showing.

5. Cook for 25-30 min. or until the cheese is brown.

6. Brush balsamic vinegar over the cheese.