This Stars and Stripes Pie is designed to wow on the Fourth of July

By

For the Stars and Stripes Pie in my cookbook, “50 Pies, 50 States,” I wanted something that would be a showstopper at any Fourth of July barbecue. I got fancy, using foil as a divider when filling the pie to mimic the color blocking of the flag. I used two fillings — strawberry and blueberry — which breaks my personal rule of making sure everyone gets the same slice. Channeling my inner Betsy Ross, I cut the crust into lattice for the stripes, and pressed the stars out with a cookie cutter, “sewing” a flag of my own to kick off my journey through the 50 states.The history of the flag is as fascinating as America itself. It’s like the country it represents: a work in progress. Historians believe it was designed by New Jersey Congressman Francis Hopkinson and sewn by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross. The current flag consists of seven red and six white horizontal stripes, representing the original 13 colonies, and 50 stars representing the states. The colors are symbolic as well: red for hardiness and valor, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance, perseverance and justice.

Makes 1 10-inch pie

IngredientsCrust:Store-bought or homemade pie dough (preferably made with all butter; and enough for a double-crusted pie), rolled out; one for the base, one for the stars-and-stripes decorative work½ teaspoon all-purpose flour½ teaspoon granulated sugarEgg washFinishing sugar (equal parts white sugar and demerara sugar)