TUTORIAL IT

american flag pie

By the time you read this, I will have hopefully left San Francisco and arrived in New York City (just in time for 4th of July and Erlend's birthday weekend!) safe and sound. I don't dispense a lot of life advice, but I will say this: don't decide to move across the country during a holiday weekend. Just don't.


On a less serious note, Happy 4th of July weekend! I hope everybody's gearing up for an awesome barbecue and other summery things of that sort. Live it up for me, okay? Because I'll be sitting in Erlend's parent's apartment unpacking boxes of clothes and kitchenware. Although I'm extremely happy to be reunited with Erlend, but I've moved enough times to know that unpacking doesn't make for the most festive weekend. My only official 4th of July celebration will be this cherry and blueberry American flag pie:


Like almost all the recipes that have been on this blog in the last few weeks, this pie is a direct result of the leftovers in my San Francisco refrigerator. But it turns out cherries and blueberries are frequently used together in desserts as they come into season together. So no weird combinations like the pineapple, peach, and paprika pie I was trying to make happen last time — just summer berries in my favorite all-butter pie crust (wait — sincere question: is cherry actually a berry?). It's about the most classic American dessert I've ever made, and it's perfect for celebrating America's Independence Day.

Happy 4th of July, folks!

• In case you need a visual on how to make build the American flag design, check out this awesome step-by-step tutorial! It also helps to have a pastry wheel (or a pizza wheel — let's be honest, they're basically the same thing) and ruler to ensure even stripes. 


• The color contrast between the blueberries and cherries didn't turn out to be as vibrant as I'd hoped — turns out they bleed into the same color when baked. If you want more of a red and blue contrast, I recommend using strawberries instead of cherries! You can also always use food coloring or canned pie filling, but I might die a little bit if you do the latter. It's berry season; take advantage of it! 

get the recipe »

Available link for download