Recipe: Old Glory Cherry-Blueberry Pie

Old Glory Cherry-Blueberry Pie
from Sunset, July 2001

NOTES: If using fresh cherries, buy about 1 3/4 pound; if using frozen, you'll need about 1 1/2 packages, 16 ounces each.
MAKES: 8 to 10 servings

5 cups fresh sweet, dark cherries, rinsed and pitted, or frozen pitted cherries (see notes)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained, or frozen blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Flag pastry (recipe follows)
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. In a large bowl, mix cherries with 2 tablespoons lemon juice. In a smaller bowl, mix blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch; gently stir 1 cup of the mixture into cherries and 1/4 cup into blueberries.

2. Spoon cherry mixture over 3/4 of the pastry in pan, leaving 1 quadrant free. Spoon blueberry mixture into unfilled area. Scatter butter evenly over fruit.

3. Top filling with stars and stripes as directed for flag pastry. Set pie in a foil-lined 13- by 17-inch baking pan.

4. Bake on the bottom rack of a 400 regular or convection oven until fruit is bubbling in the center and pastry is well browned, about 1 hour. If pastry edges brown too quickly (check after 40 minutes), cover loosely with foil.

5. Let pie cool on a rack at least 3 hours; let stand at room temperature up to 8 hours. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream, if desired.

Per serving: 387 cal., 37% (144 cal.) from fat; 3.8 g protein; 16 g fat (6.9 g sat.); 59 g carbo (2.3 g fiber); 197 mg sodium; 21 mg chol.

Flag Pastry

1. In a bowl, mix 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 6 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, cut into chunks, and 6 tablespoons cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into chunks. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in fats or rub in with your fingers until mixture forms pea-size pieces.

2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons cold water over mixture and stir with a fork just until evenly moistened. Gently squeeze about 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball; if it won't hold together, crumble lump back into bowl and sprinkle with more water, 1 tablespoon at a time; stir with a fork until evenly moistened.

3. With lightly floured hands, gently squeeze dough into a ball. Divide in half and pat each half into a 4-inch-wide round. Lay 1 round on a lightly floured surface. With a flour-coated rolling pin, roll firmly but gently in short strokes from center of dough outward to form a 12-inch-wide round. If edges split, push back toward center to make relatively smooth. Occasionally lift dough and dust underneath with flour to prevent sticking.

4. Fold dough round in half, lift gently without stretching, and lay folded edge across the middle of a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold pastry and ease into pan without stretching. Trim dough 3/4 inch beyond pan rim.

5. Fill as directed for Old Glory cherry-blueberry pie (preceding).

6. On lightly floured board, roll remaining pastry dough into a 10-inch round. With a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut 6 strips (3/4 in. wide) across center of round. Place filled crust in front of you with blueberry quadrant at the upper left. Lay the longest pastry strip across pie with 1 edge adjacent to bottom of blueberry quadrant, then evenly space remaining strips across pie parallel to first strip. Cut away portions of strips over blueberry filling. With a 11/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut 6 stars from remaining pastry; arrange over blueberry filling.

7. Fold edge of bottom crust over ends of strips, flush with pan rim. Flute decoratively.

Per serving: 226 cal., 60% (135 cal.) from fat; 2.8 g protein; 15 g fat (6.3 g sat.); 20 g carbo (0.7 g fiber); 187 mg sodium; 19 mg chol.