How to Make Pumpkin Pie with Boris Portnoy

Published on Thursday, December 2, 2010, by Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin / Edit Post

How to Make Pumpkin Pie with Boris Portnoy

By Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

Pastry chef Boris Portnoy gives new life to a Thanksgiving cliché. Generic, canned pumpkin pie mix plus freezer-burned pie crust equals fake smiles on the faces of your friends and families. Real smiles come from choosing your own pumpkin—there are many heirloom varieties to pick from—and then customizing and experimenting as you go, using Portnoy’s recipe as a guide.

You’re Doing It All Wrong is constructive criticism. Don’t take it the wrong way: Just learn the right way.

ALLYou're Doing It All Wrong
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  • I've made it all possible ways (canned/fresh pumpkin, homemade/storebought crust). I agree with the crust thing, i.e. frozen crusts/shells can be terrible. But to be honest, I've found that it's impossible to tell the difference between canned and fresh pumpkin.... but maybe I'm doing it all wrong!

  • I have made at least two pie (often way more)every week for the last 30+ years of my life. I sell pies at my families vineyard every October.(our Canadian Thanks Giving month) I sell out no matter how many I make. I have people order them in advance to make sure they get them year after year. My pies look better than the before or after pie and I'm confidant that they taste better too! Star...+READ

    I have made at least two pie (often way more)every week for the last 30+ years of my life. I sell pies at my families vineyard every October.(our Canadian Thanks Giving month) I sell out no matter how many I make. I have people order them in advance to make sure they get them year after year. My pies look better than the before or after pie and I'm confidant that they taste better too! Star Anise? Yuk! Way to strong and way to wrong. The other non-traditional spices seem OK. I've even used them for some of my own families pies.However, I'll stick with my more traditional flavors thank you.

    For novices they can get a dry mix like the one from Robin Hood and have a fine tasting crust that has never seen a freezer! While I do cook my own pumpkin (like the other lady said cooking a pumpkin over night is just plain wasteful and stupid) and make my own amazing crust (some come just to get the crust!) I think knocking the canned pumpkin is a bit much. The before- the "not the right way" pie was over the top with the added mini-marshmallows. In what ghetto was that idea created? I have made pies- almost always with my own crust (from scratch) with the dreaded canned pumpkin and achieved amazing results. I also change it up. Why would anyone want to use sweetened condensed milk? Give me brown sugar and real 35% whipping cream any day. Now that is artisan or gourmet fare. And make your pie one day in advance. The same day is just crazy when you have so much. Do all your prep two days before and rest the day before!-COLLAPSE

  • Your video dies after 15 seconds. Don't worry though, the ads come up perfectly. I guess that's all your really concerned with.

  • ok, well, the first thing wrong with this guy's recipe is that you totally DO NOT need to cook a pumpkin overnight. Cut it in half, place each half face down on a cookie sheet, add a little water to the cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until you can easily spear the flesh with a fork. Seriously, using fresh pumpkin instead of canned does not need to be a big deal at all....+READ

    ok, well, the first thing wrong with this guy's recipe is that you totally DO NOT need to cook a pumpkin overnight. Cut it in half, place each half face down on a cookie sheet, add a little water to the cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until you can easily spear the flesh with a fork. Seriously, using fresh pumpkin instead of canned does not need to be a big deal at all. Sometimes I use acorn squash instead of pumpkin and I find that the pie tastes the same.

    Moreover, the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Best Pumpkin Pie, imho, is the best I've ever tasted. (Also here if you don't have a subscription: http://www.dailyolive.com/2004/09/best-pumpkin-pi.html) Instead of condensed milk, you use heavy cream, and the result is a filling that truly a smooth pumpkin custard and not grainy or dry. I've never tried it with canned pumpkin, but I'd be willing to bet it'd work out just the same.-COLLAPSE

  • Hi daniella123. Here's a link to Boris's recipe:

    http://www.chow.com/recipes/27926-boris-portnoys-pumpkin-pie

    Deborah from CHOW

  • Ok So where can I buy a pie pumpkin in NYC then? I've been to 5 gourmet stores on the upper east side already....

  • That's all well and good if you have all the time in the wold, no full time job, and don't have a Million Other dishes to cook at the same time. Canned pumpkin, if cooked before using to remove the tinned flavor, is fine and I bet dollars to doughnuts a regular person (not a food writer) could not tell the difference. I agree with the pie dough, though. Making pie dough by hand is so easy, the...+READ

    That's all well and good if you have all the time in the wold, no full time job, and don't have a Million Other dishes to cook at the same time. Canned pumpkin, if cooked before using to remove the tinned flavor, is fine and I bet dollars to doughnuts a regular person (not a food writer) could not tell the difference. I agree with the pie dough, though. Making pie dough by hand is so easy, the time saved on frozen isn't worth it.-COLLAPSE

  • thank you so much :D

  • daniella it was coriander, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger powder, lemon and orange peel, and cloves

  • can anyone tell me what spices r use in the video i cant really understand him and i dont know much about spices. i want to make this pie for thanksgiving can anyone help ....thank you

  • I'm totally making this for Thanksgiving. Or maybe even before, to test it.
    I will also be watching this frequently, for his sexy accent :p

  • I'm guessing that the field pumpkin references stock pumpkins? There are two categories of pumpkins stock and cheese. stock are the one's used as jack-o-lanterns. The type grown for pie is called cheese pumpkins. some popular varieties of cheese pumpkins are sugar pumpkin - I grow this one myself, small sugar and funny face. pumpkins. They are grown for consumption.They are less watery and the...+READ

    I'm guessing that the field pumpkin references stock pumpkins? There are two categories of pumpkins stock and cheese. stock are the one's used as jack-o-lanterns. The type grown for pie is called cheese pumpkins. some popular varieties of cheese pumpkins are sugar pumpkin - I grow this one myself, small sugar and funny face. pumpkins. They are grown for consumption.They are less watery and the flesh is sweeter better textured-not stringy like the stock pumpkins.-COLLAPSE

  • I love to put some chopped candied ginger into the filling

    Commercial canned pumpkin is usually not the field pumpkin we're used to thinking of. They use mostly Cushaw or other heavy-meated winter squash. Butternut and buttercup also make good 'pumpkin' pie.

  • Just watched this--wish I had watched a couple of months ago. Thanks, Boris. Why did I never think of just baking the whole thing in the oven before cutting it? I was dreading the skinning and cutting. Great approach.

  • thanks for the comments, i think most people that use can pumpkins do so because they think that cooking your own pumpkin is too hands on. This technique makes it alot easier to work with the vegetable. Enjoy!

  • What a nice idea. And YES! I am also NOT a lover of too much nutmeg.

    I love this recipe. I am going to try it. I have always made my own crust here in Japan, but I have used purchased, canned pumpkin.... because we can't really get American style orange skinned pumpkins here. Most are a green skinned type (yes, they are ripe!). But, hey, they taste like pumpkin!

    I generally put in my own...+READ

    What a nice idea. And YES! I am also NOT a lover of too much nutmeg.

    I love this recipe. I am going to try it. I have always made my own crust here in Japan, but I have used purchased, canned pumpkin.... because we can't really get American style orange skinned pumpkins here. Most are a green skinned type (yes, they are ripe!). But, hey, they taste like pumpkin!

    I generally put in my own spices, but I will try this combo!

    I have made a type of pumpkin pie with praline added on top of the crust (not in the crust) before adding the pumpkin mixture. It adds a nice crunch.-COLLAPSE

  • wow, that was easy. after reading all kinds of recipes about steaming pumpkins or cutting them up and roasting them with olive oil (really) or using squash instead .... what a refreshing approach.