By Gretchen McKay

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With its red-white-and-blue color scheme, this pie would be a perfect dessert for a July 4 picnic. You may need an extra pair of hands to fill the crust — I had my daughter Olivia hold her hands in a “V” to create the blueberry wedge.

American Flag Pie

Pastry for a double pie crust, homemade or store-bought

For strawberry-rhubarb filling

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup pie filling enhancer (I used cornstarch)

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 cups lightly packed diced rhubarb, fresh or frozen

2 cups hulled, quartered strawberries, fresh or frozen

For blueberry filling

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons pie filling enhancer (I used cornstarch)

2 cups blueberries, washed and drained

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

White sanding sugar, for garnish

Line a 9-inch pie pan with about 2/3 of pastry. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Make strawberry filling: Whisk together sugar, enhancer and salt and toss with rhubarb and strawberries. Set aside.

Make blueberry filling: Whisk together sugar and enhancer. Toss with blueberries, then stir in the lemon juice.

Fill a 90-degree wedge of pie shell with blueberry filling and the remaining 270-degree wedge with strawberry-rhubarb filling.

Roll the remaining crust into a 10-inch-long rectangle about 3/8-inch thick. Cut dough, lengthwise, into 5 to 6 3/4-inch-wide strips. Cut three to five 1 1/4-inch stars from remaining dough.

Place strips parallel to one another over the strawberry-rhubarb section, cutting any excess off the ends and pinching them to the edge of the crust. Place the stars atop the blueberry filling.

Brush stars, stripes and outer crust with water and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired.

Place pie on baking sheet (to catch drips) and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 35 to 45 minutes, until filling is bubbling and crust nicely browned.(I had to cover the pie with aluminum foil about half way through to keep it from over-browning, but it still got too dark. I thing King Arthur either manipulated the image of the pie pictured on its website, or added the stars-and-stripes outer crust toward the end of baking.)

Remove pie from oven, and let cool for at least an hour before serving.

Yield: 1 pie.

— King Arthur Flour