This year for our sisters’ trip, we went to Rapid City, South Dakota and environs. As we were making our plans, people told us “there’s no there.” In spite of that information, we spent an incredible week there.
We started our adventures in Rapid City, known as “the presidential city.” The attraction here (besides pie) is that each corner in the downtown has a bronze statue of a president. These are 
not your typical sculptures of stone-faced seriousness (that comes later in the trip) but rather, they capture the warmth of the personality, for example, of John Kennedy playing with his son or of Abraham Lincoln talking to a young soldier. 
On our way to our “home” up in the Black Hills, we passed the Pistachio Pie Bakery and headed in for take-out desserts. This bakery is owned by the well-credentialed chef Lauren Moir who moved from Seattle, where she was a pastry chef, to Rapid City to be near her family. She is as delightful as her pies. Lauren wanted to name her bakery “Pistachio Pie” so she had to come up with a recipe to go with the name. Of course, we bought the namesake Pistachio Pie and also a handful of hand pies that we enjoyed as we moved onward to Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, and Mount Rushmore.
People: Innovative chefs who live their dream of opening their own bakery.
Places: Rapid City, South Dakota. In addition to the presidential sculptures, there is a spirit of community here with friendly shop keepers, lively street festivals, and regular artist exhibits. Pistachio Pie Bakery is at 4118 Jackson Blvd. www.pistachiopie.com
Pies: Pistachio Pie. Lauren makes her pistachio pie using toasted salted pistachios which she grinds and mixes in a filling of cream cheese and powdered sugar. The pie is baked in a flaky butter and shortening crust. The whipped topping has a hint of lemon, which is a tasty counterpoint to the rich filling. 
- Dough for pie crust
- Filling of your choice
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using your favorite pie crust recipe, roll out the dough. Depending on the size of your hand, use a glass, can, cookie cutter or protractor (!) to make circle and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone pad. Fill the circle with a small amount of your favorite filling and top it with another circle. If you prefer half-moon shaped pies, just fill one circle and fold it in half. Crimp the edge to seal tightly. Vent the pie with a fork. Cover the pies and chill them for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also freeze them at this point and bake them later. Before baking, brush the pies with an egg wash and sprinkle them with sugar. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy one of the few times that is ok to eat your food with your hands!
