Flag Pastry

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, cut into chunks
• 6 tablespoons cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into chunks

Preparation

1. 1. In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Add butter and shortening. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in fats or rub in with your fingers until mixture forms pea-size pieces.
2. 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. 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. 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. 5. Fill as directed for Old Glory cherry-blueberry pie.
6. 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 1 1/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut 6 stars from remaining pastry; arrange over blueberry filling.
7. 7. Fold edge of bottom crust over ends of strips, flush with pan rim. Flute decoratively.