Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease well a 6-cup popover pan (or a regular muffin tin, if you don't have a popover pan) with unsalted butter and set it aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the butter, eggs, and milk, whisking well after each addition until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin.
Fill each of the wells in the pan just under halfway full. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for a total of 30 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, with a sharp knife or with sharp kitchen shears, pierce the top of each popover to allow steam to escape so that the popovers are able to maintain their puffiness.
Serve plain or with your favorite jam or preserves
Make the cheddar-thyme pie dough: Preheat the oven to 375°.
In a small bowl, toss the cheddar cheese with 1 tablespoon of the flour and freeze for 10 minutes.
In a 1-cup liquid measuring cup, combine the vinegar, vodka and water. Fill to the top with ice and chill until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the shortening and use a pastry cutter to work the shortening into the flour. Add the butter cubes, cheese and thyme, and cut into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with a few pea-size butter pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the shortening and use a pastry cutter to work the shortening into the flour. Add the butter cubes, cheese and thyme, and cut into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with a few pea-size butter pieces.
Pour ¼ cup of the ice-cold vinegar mixture over the flour and stir with a fork. Add another ¼ cup and, with your fingertips, briefly mix into a shaggy dough. Add enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together without crumbling. Gather the dough and form it into a loose ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap, using the plastic as an aid to tuck and seal the dough into a smooth 5-by-7-inch rectangle. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Meanwhile, make the tomato filling: Line two 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer on each sheet tray and season them with salt. Bake for 20 minutes at 375°. Reduce the oven to 300° and continue to bake until the tomatoes begin to wrinkle and dry on top, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain the tomatoes of any excess water. Set aside and cool to room temperature. The tomatoes can be covered and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.
Prebake the pie shell: Roll the chilled pie dough to a 16-by-23-inch rectangle. Fold the dough in half and then in quarters. Transfer and unfold the dough on the baking sheet. If the dough gets tough to handle and the butter begins to soften, refrigerate it again. Fold the edges of the dough to make a thick-rimmed crust along the inside of the pan and chill in the freezer until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl whisk the egg with a heavy pinch of salt. Remove the chilled dough and prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Brush the entire dough with the egg wash and line the bottom inside edges with large butter knives to hold up the sides during baking. Transfer to the oven, lower the heat to 400° and bake, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, until the edges are light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375° and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the tomatoes to the prebaked pie shell, flipping them so that the bottom, wet sides of the tomatoes are facing up in the pie shell; layer the garlic slivers and lemon thyme sprigs in between the tomato slices. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the tomatoes and garlic, and transfer to the oven. Reduce the temperature to 350° and bake until the tomatoes begin to brown along their edges and the crust turns deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. If the edges brown fast, cover them with aluminum foil. Transfer the pie to a baking rack and cool to room temperature before slicing. Finish by topping the pie with lemon basil, flaky sea salt, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Then serve.
Make the graham cracker crust: Break the graham crackers apart and place in a food processor along with the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse until finely ground. With the food processor running, pour the butter in a steady stream until moist crumbs form. Transfer to an 8-inch disposable pie tin and press down on the bottom and 1 inch up the sides. Freeze for 1 hour, until the pie shell sets.
Make the margarita curd: In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the lime juice, tequila, sugar, eggs and egg yolk, and place over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Whisk continuously until a creamy, thick custard consistency forms, 6 to 8 minutes, or until it registers 175° on a heatproof thermometer.
Gradually whisk in the cubes of butter until incorporated and remove from the heat. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, then pour the strained mixture into the prepared pie crust. Freeze until completely firm, 4 to 6 hours.
Make the blueberry compote: In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, water and sugar, and shake to coat the blueberries. Bring to a boil. Remove the lid and simmer until most of the berries have burst and the liquid has reduced to a syrup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and chill. Makes 1½ cups of compote. Make ahead: The compote can be made up to 5 days in advance. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Make the whipped cream: In a large bowl or a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream, powdered sugar, lime zest and tequila until medium peaks form. Remove the pie from the freezer 15 minutes before serving and pipe or spread the whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt and, using a spoon, top with ¾ cup of the blueberry compote. Sprinkle the green sanding sugar around the sides of the pie and serve.
Recipe Notes
Recipe: Frozen Margarita Pie - from Zac Young, David Burke Restaurant Group, New York & Tasting Table.
