When you think of desserts with fall flavors, it’s hard not to picture pies. And when you think of pies in Baton Rouge, Elsie’s Plate and Pie on Government Street inevitably springs to mind.

Elsie’s churns out hundreds of pies a week, and that’s only counting the specialty ones. The Mid City restaurant has a permanent menu of both sweet and savory pies (think: everything from apple pies to Natchitoches meat pies), as well.

Owner and chef Paul Dupré says the restaurant made five times its usual amount of specialty pies during Thanksgiving week of 2021, when it pumped out over 1,000 pastries. You can beat the rush by ordering ahead to ensure delicious pies for your holiday spread, or stop in to get a good meal and try whatever seasonal flavors are available in the case.

Though the seasonal pie lineup was not yet confirmed when we interviewed Dupré in September, he promises pie lovers can expect the return of the Fall Harvest Pie, which made its debut last year. The pie was the brainchild of both Dupré and Elsie’s pastry chef Brant Palazzo.

“Usually, we just kind of go week to week and just talk about pies and food until we get excited to start making stuff,” Dupré explains. “(For the Fall Harvest Pie), we talked about what we love in those typical fall flavors, all the warm spices and that kind of stuff.”

The result: an elevated version of an apple streusel pie, with some secret spices, additional apples, pears and rum-soaked raisins. It is served hot and pairs well with a hearty scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Here’s a sneak peek at what lies inside the shell of this spiced dessert ahead of its triumphant comeback during the primetime pie season. elsiespies.com

ANATOMY OF A PIE

Click on the image to find out more about each ingredient:

This article was originally published in the November 2022 issue of 225 magazine.