Tomato Cobbler ... really!

I was searching the web for the pickled onion rings recipe from the Cock of the Walk in Jackson, Mississippi, (and believe me, they are worth searching for) when I came across this recipe for Tomato Cobbler. Not two words I would normally put together, but it rang a bell. My father-in-law, who hails from the Magnolia State, once reminisced about having eaten tomato cobbler. I'm not sure any of us actually believed him at the time, but having found evidence of its existence I had to try it out. So here it is in all its glory. If you can get past my poor photography and even poorer presentation (no, I don't have a nicer casserole dish, and no, I do not have the patience to weave a lattice top out of pastry dough), it is actually quite good. I had DH sample it before telling him what it was and he gave it a thumbs up. The recipe is shown below in case you also feel the need to prove it for yourself. Of course, to be fair, anything with that much sugar and butter has got to good.

Deep Dish Tomato Cobbler

• 2 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes
• 3/4 C sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/2 C butter
• 3/4 C water
• pastry dough for an 8" pie

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Simmer all ingredients (except the dough) for 20 minutes.
3. Roll the dough thin, then cut in half. Cut one half into small squares about 1/2" wide.
4. Drop the small squares into the pan and simmer 5 more minutes.
5. Pour into baking dish.
6. Cover with the rest of the dough cut into strips.
7. Sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake at 450 F for 15 minutes or until browned.