They say never read the comments on the Internet, but AllRecipes.com is a good exception to that rule.
The Seattle-based website has more than 12 million users who leave, for the most part, kind and helpful feedback on the recipes with nary a discouraging word to be found.
They leave comments that explain how they tweaked the recipe to their liking, how the dinner company liked it and what they’d do differently next time.
Much of that collaborative spirit spills over into the AllRecipes magazine, which prints comments from the Web alongside the printed recipes. Everybody is so earnest, it feels like holding the best parts of the Internet in your hands.
This recipe for Summer Tomato Pie, originally from a user lucky enough to grab the username Elizabeth, reflects the kind of crowdsourced improvements that AllRecipes users share in both the print and online platforms, including reduced garlic, flour-dredged tomatoes and mixing Parmesan cheese in with the mayonnaise.
Summer Tomato Pie
1 uncooked 9-inch pie crust
3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Flour, for dredging (optional)
2 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan; prick bottom and sides with fork. Bake crust until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Place tomatoes in a single layer of a colander; sprinkle with salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes to release moisture. Blot excess moisture with a paper towel. To ensure a less-soggy crust, dredge blotted tomatoes in flour. Arrange the slices in a layer around the bottom of the cooled pie crust, overlapping slices.
Sprinkle half the garlic and half the basil onto tomato layer. Sprinkle half the Cheddar cheese and half the mozzarella cheese over basil layer. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, garlic, basil, Cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and the Parmesan cheese, and then spread mixture over the pie.
Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serves 8.
— Adapted from a recipe by AllRecipes.com user Elizabeth
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