Creative Hobbies and PUMPKIN PIE

So what creative hobbies do you have?

I do WOODWORKING, PHOTOGRAPHY,  PAINTING / ILLUSTRATING and COOKING.
I feel it is incredibly important for creatives to have creative hobbies that allow them to express themselves in other ways, without the pressures associated with their career  (or study) pursuits.

Occasionally I'll share a woodworking project, a drawing, or a photo.  I am also a bit of a foodie, and while I eschew the recipe exchange, I am definitely not above it!

With the holidays just around the corner, I recently came across (via CHOW) an incredible recipe for Pumpkin Pie by Boris Portnoy. In his CHOW recipe, Portnoy expresses everything I feel is wrong with Pumpkin Pie. Most pies seem to be about the spices, or “muddy-flavored” canned pumpkin.

I recently made Portnoy's pie, and it was pretty darn good!
I made just a few modifications. Instead of his crust, I used the über-flaky crust obtained by using the AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN VODKA CRUST RECIPE!

I skipped the cookie cutter toppings (although in principle I have no problem with them) and created a brown-sugar crumble that is often associated more with homemade apple pies (just put it on 10 or 15 minutes before the time is due.

Using fresh pumpkin was incredible easy using Portnoy's method! And the flavor is so much more PUMPKINY.

Watch Portnoy's CHEW video here. (It also links to the recipe).

This is Chris Kimball's/AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN's vodka crust.