I was leaving out of town for a week the next day, so I wanted to impress my husband with a pastry that looked like the American flag for the 4th of July.
I wanted to make a pie, but my husband just got back from a trip the day prior and we had this only day to spend together and I didn’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. With better planning ahead, I totally could have done a pie, but I decided to instead go with a pastry dough.
For the puff pastry, I decided to take it easy and just use some dough that I bought at the store. I’d be curious to try this recipe in the future with homemade puff pastry, or even pie crust!
Get the puff pastry I used here, or a healthier option here.
My first idea was to make the red stripes cherry and the blue corner blueberries & blackberries. My only dilemma was that my husband is not a huge fan of cherries or blueberries & blackberries…so I decided to be creative and try something different.
For the red stripes I used apples, peaches, and just a few cherries for color. I kept the blueberries & blackberries because I was craving them and just designated that as one of the pieces I would take.
To be honest, I really threw this recipe together and it turned out delicious!
Think of your kitchen as your canvas. Feel free to be creative in the dishes that you make! If you don’t like a certain fruit, don’t be afraid to swap it out with another or use what you have on hand. Think outside the box and you may be so surprised at what you can come up with and what your hands have created.
1 puff pasty sheet
1/2 cup cherries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries
2 apples
1 ripe peach
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar or maple syrup (divided)
1 egg (for egg wash) or use some milk
1 Lemon
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare fruit:
Peel and slice the apples.
Peel and dice the peach.
Slice cherries in half and remove the seed.
Add the sliced apples, peaches, and cherries in one pan on medium heat with 1 tbsp of sugar or maple syrup, the juice of half the lemon, 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch until the fruit is cooked down to your desired consistency.
Add the blueberries and blackberries in another pan with 1/2 tbsp sugar or maple syrup, the juice of half the lemon, and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch until the fruit is cooked down a bit.
Line your pie pan:
Lightly grease the pie pan.
Gently press the puff pastry into the pan, letting the corners rise slightly up the sides.
Trim excess, but leave a slight overhang to account for shrinkage.
Keep the excess for the lines of the flag and the “stars.”
Create your flag design:
Use the excess pie pieces to cut two rectangle pieces and use your fingers to mold together the corner (see video below for help).
Roll the excess pieces into a larger piece so that you can cut the stripes.
In the top left corner of the pie, spoon in the blueberries to form the “stars” area.
Spoon the rest of the fruit into the large area of the pie.
Add the stripes to the large area so that it looks like the American Flag. Use your fingers to mold the stripes into the crust so that it stays while it is baking.
Use a small area of the dough to turn into stars with a star-shaped cutter or roll them into little balls like I did because I didn’t have that option on hand.
Egg wash the crust:
Brush the exposed pastry edges with beaten egg or with milk.
Bake:
Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.
Cool & serve:
Let cool at least 15 minutes so it can set up slightly before slicing.
Serve with whip cream, ice cream, or milk!
Impress your man or guests with this flag-shaped pastry, and enjoy!
Notes:
Feel free to substitute the fruit for whatever you’re feeling that looks like the American Flag.
Frozen fruit is another great option if you don’t want to buy fresh.
I’m so excited to announce that we’re launching a Book Club on our Substack very soon!
This Book Club will be a cozy and encouraging space for women who want to grow in their faith, mindset, and womanhood through intentional reading.
Each month, we’ll dive into a book that challenges and uplifts us with thoughtful discussion prompts, reflection questions, and community conversations to help you apply what you’re learning.
Whether you're looking for deeper purpose, biblical encouragement, or practical wisdom, this Book Club is for you.
Stay tuned…our first pick is coming soon!