Things You'll Need
2 prepared pie crusts
3 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup fresh blueberries
Servings: 8 Difficulty Level: Moderate
There might be nothing more American than apple pie, but this cherry and blueberry version is definitely more festive. Create your own, edible version of Old Glory by dividing up your pie plate—a quarter of it is a blueberry pie, perfect for the star field, and the remaining three-quarters of the pie is a bright red cherry pie. The whole dish is topped off with easy, but impressive, pie crust in the shape of the stars and stripes. People will flip over your patriotic dessert!
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Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°. Take one of the prepared pie crusts, and fit it into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate, pressing to mold to the plate and leaving an overhang on the edge of the pie plate.
Step 2
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cherries, 1 cup of sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, and cornstarch until the cherries are well-coated. Set aside.
Step 3
In a second small mixing bowl, toss together the remaining sugar and blueberries; set aside.
Step 4
Take a 10-inch piece of aluminum foil, and fold over lengthwise until about an inch tall. Fold the piece in half, widthwise, to form a right-angle. Place the foil piece in the prepared pie plate with the top piece pointing to the 12 o'clock position, and the other piece pointing to the 9 o'clock position.
Step 5
Carefully spoon the blueberry filling into the space made with the foil to form the blue star field.
Step 6
Then spoon the cherry filling into the remaining area in the pie plate. Carefully pull out the aluminum foil.
Step 7
Using a pizza cutter, slice half of the remaining pie crust into 1-inch strips. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut stars out of the remaining half of the pie crust.
Step 8
Place the stripes and stars on the pie to mimic the American flag. Crimp the stripes to the edge of the bottom crust, remove extra, and crimp to seal.
Step 9
Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown. Reduce the heat to 350°, and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and thick.
Step 10
Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tip
The "stripes" part of this pie can also be make with strawberries or rhubarb (or both). You may also use frozen fruit in place of fresh. Just be sure to defrost the fruit, and remove most of the extra liquid leftover from defrosting. The end pie will have a darker color if you use frozen.
Warning
If your pie crust begins to brown too quickly, lightly tent the pie using aluminum foil to prevent browning.
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