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[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]

A new way to serve fruit salad at your Fourth of July feast.

Notes: Obviously, you can change the fruit according to what looks best at your local green or supermarket. Easy substitutions would be to change blackberries or plums for the blueberries or cubes of watermelon for any of the red fruit.

To make this for a larger crowd, simply double the recipe. To make it more hearty for dessert, serve with ice cream or whipped cream alongside.

About the author: Carrie Vasios is the editor of Serious Eats: Sweets. She likes to peruse her large collection of cookbooks while eating jam from the jar. You can follow her on Twitter @carrievasios

About This Recipe

Yield: makes approximately an 8- by 10-inch flag, serving 4-6
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Special equipment: 9- by 11-inch platter, or larger

Ingredients

  • 36 blueberries from about 1/2 dry pint
  • 1/2 apple, peeled
  • 23 1/4-inch slices banana, from about 2 large bananas
  • 6 cherries, pitted and sliced in half
  • 14 raspberries
  • 2 large strawberries, sliced into 1/4-inch circles, then circles cut in half
  • Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional
  • Whipped cream for serving, optional
  • 3 tablespoons diced fresh mint for serving, optional

Procedures

  1. Place one 10 inch row (approximately 10 raspberries) along bottom of platter. Top with one row of banana slices, followed by one row of cherries. Top with another row of bananas, followed by row of strawberry slices.

  2. Make a 6 x 6 blueberry square at upper right hand corner of flag. To the right, place a row of bananas, followed by a row of cherries, then a row of bananas. A row of raspberries should line up with the top of the blueberries to complete the flag.

  3. To make the stars, use the ring on a peeler that is meant to remove potato eyes to cut out small pieces of apple. Dot apple pieces throughout blueberry box. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a sprinkle of fresh mint if desired.