Food & Wine

"Call it a line in the sand over the top of a pie: Wisconsin residents are divided between ice cream or local sharp cheddar as a suitable dairy topping for pie. This 65-acre farm offers both on top of an unusual sugar cookie–dough crust, invented after a baking accident. The domed crust caramelizes in a paper bag, keeping Idared apples crisp yet sweet and the crust brown, not doughy. Three generations of owners and countless contests later, this is the authoritative Wisconsin pie, with or without ... Read more

Jane & Michael Stern

"The top crust is crunchy and sugary, like a luxurious cookie; the bottom crust is flake-tender; the apple filling in between the crusts is soft with pleasant bite, gently seasoned, and just-right sweet."

Leah Eskin

"Pie in a bag sounds odd, but tastes delightful. My friend Alison served me one imported from Wisconsin, where The Elegant Farmer makes elegant work of apple, pie and brown-paper bag."

Tim Cuprisin

"The apple pie I was looking for -- and found -- in the Elegant Farmer's pie, all crusty and with just enough tartness."

Margie Goldsmith

"This pie, featuring mounds of juicy sweet-tart apples, is baked in a paper bag, creating a unique crunchy top crust and a light flaky old-fashioned bottom crust."

Morgan Weiner

"The first bite fills your mouth with perfectly cooked apples that magically still have all their texture, kissed with caramelized sugar and cinnamon and you bite down on that perfectly crunchy top crust and it’s impossible not to have a moment."

Michele Debczak

"In the case of the “Gourmet Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag" from The Elegant Farmer, the pie underneath is even better than the topping. Their unique paper bag baking method creates a perfectly flaky crust every time."

Sophia Chiang

"The 25 Best Pie Shops in America: The Elegant Farmer - This place bakes their apple pies in paper bags. Why? Because apparently, as legend has it, the sugar cookie crust is firmer and crisper, and it makes all the difference."