AMERICAN PIE We hold this truth to be self-evident: that no Fourth of July celebration is complete without the consumption of vast quantities of fried chicken, potato salad, cherry pie, and such. If you don’t have a time-honored family recipe for cherry pie, you might consider starting a tradition by serving this eminently patriotic version created by pastry chef Julia Ruíz, of Austin’s Roaring Fork. Ruíz starts with a flaky butter-and-Crisco crust and fills it with fresh, brown-sugar-sweetened cherries—the “red” in this all-American dessert. For the “white and blue,” she adds a generous dollop of whipped cream and a lacy ornament made of blue-dyed sugar, then drizzles the plate with black-currant sauce. Happily, Ruíz’s recipe makes individual pies, ensuring that everyone at the picnic table gets exactly the same amount. After all, a domestic insurrection would most definitely not promote the pursuit of happiness.
