Pie queen Stacey Mei Yan Fong’s cookbook, “50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States” (Voracious, 2023), isn’t just a volume of recipes. It celebrates her adopted country and its people. All 50 states are represented, along with this overarching ode to the country as a whole: a berry-filled Stars & Stripes Pie that’s perfect for Fourth of July.
Stars & Stripes Pie
Makes one 10-inch pie
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
All-Butter Crust (see recipe below), rolled out into two circles large enough to fit a 10-inch pie pan
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Finishing sugar
Strawberry filling:
6 cups strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberry filling:
1½ cups blueberries
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Make the crust: Roll out half the dough and fit it into a greased 10-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Place the other rolled-out crust on a baking sheet. Freeze both crusts for 30 minutes.
Remove the crust on the baking sheet from the freezer. Using a pizza cutter and a ruler, measure out 1-inch strips; cut three full-length, i.e., 10- or 11-inch strips and two half-length strips. Use the remainder of the dough to cut out the stars using a cookie cutter. Place stars and stripes back on to the baking sheet and freeze until ready to use.
Make the fillings: In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and vanilla. In a separate smaller bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and vanilla.
Assemble the pie: To keep your blueberry and strawberry fillings separate, make a barrier: Cut a strip of aluminum foil about 2 inches wide and fold it in half lengthwise so you have an inch-wide strip. Then crease it in half widthwise to create an “L” shape.
Remove the crimped crust from the freezer. Place the L-shaped foil piece in the top left corner of the pie crust, creating a compartment that is a quarter of the whole pie in size. Sprinkle the ½ teaspoon each of flour and sugar over the crust base; this will help prevent a soggy bottom.
Pour the blueberry filling into the smaller section and the strawberry filling into the larger section. Remove the foil and adjust the berries, if some rolled out of place.
Remove the dough stripes and stars from the freezer. Place the stars and stripes on the berry fillings to resemble a flag, being sure to press the ends of the stripes into the edge of the bottom crust.
Brush the entire crust with egg wash, making sure not to pull the berries’ sugary syrup onto the crust, as it will burn. Sprinkle finishing sugar over the whole thing for a sparkly finish. Freeze entire pie for 30 minutes before baking.
Bake the pie: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pie on a baking sheet and then on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating the pie 90 degrees every 15 minutes. The pie is done when it is golden brown and sparkling from sea to shining sea. Let the pie cool for at least 3 hours, then enjoy à la mode!
All-Butter Crust
Makes a double crust
INGREDIENTS
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup cold water
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup ice
DIRECTIONS
Stir the flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl with a flat bottom. Add the butter pieces. Using your fingers, toss the butter in the dry mixture so each cube is coated. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut or rub the butter into the mixture until it is in pieces a bit larger than peas (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to over-blend). You want to have
big butter chunks in your crust: It helps create a flaky effect, as well as adding delicious buttery hits of flavor!
In a separate large measuring cup, combine the water, cider vinegar and ice. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture (do not add the ice). Using your hands in a circular motion, bring the mixture together until all the liquid is incorporated. Continue adding the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. Carefully mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it comes into one mass; don’t overwork it.
Separate the dough into two equal portions, shape them into discs, wrap in plastic, and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge.
Excerpted from 50 PIES, 50 STATES by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Copyright © 2023 by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Photography by Alanna Hale. Food styling by Caitlin Haught Brown. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.
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