The internet is a magic carpet ride for me when I go recipe surfing. And I’m drawn to Australian food blogs, like Gourmet Jack. His slogan: Foodie Nirvana, Australian Style. There he presented Impossible Pie — is it really impossible? Coconut, crustless, custardy… crikey – sounds great!
Turns out, this dessert is more surprising than impossible. Larry noted the first surprise, “This is really light!” Simple truth from a manly man. The second surprise: chilled the next day, it’s YUMMIER. Gotta love Aussies for this keeper recipe.
I do love Aussies, for lots of reasons. Top of my list is that they’re the BEST travel buddies: worldly, easy, fun, frugal, focused on their surroundings. And their recipes often seem like that travel personality – easy, fun, frugal. When I zeroed in on Gourmet Jack’s Impossible Pie, a treasure from his mother’s collection, it looked promising. So few steps! Such easy ingredients! Such a promise, “big leap of faith here,” he wrote. I googled “Impossible Pie” to see if I was somehow ignorant to a classic (like the current macaron craze that’s totally escaping me), and saw American recipes of that title but they tended to be like a savory frittata, and often made with the anathema, Bisquick. I don’t use that stuff. I cook more like Gourmet Jack. Here is his mother, Rose’s recipe:
The Impossible Pie from Gourmet Jack
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups cold milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup butter
- dash salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or not – your choice)
Heat the oven to 350º degrees. Prepare a well-greased 10″ Pyrex pie dish.
Put all ingredients in blender, blend at high speed for the count of 10, then turn off blender and pour mixture into the prepared pie plate
Bake for 40 minutes or until edges are brown. Cool (in dish) on wire rack. Makes 8 servings.
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Creme Brulee is custard, too. Take a look at the steps to make it by Three Baking Sheets to the Wind.
Mmmm macaroons are coconuty, so I did this post: Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons.
More coconut? Peanut Butter Coconut Chipsters are on Eat At Allie’s.
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Geez, that sounds easy enough, and I like the fact that you said it tasted LIGHT. Cannot wait to try it.
If you add lemon juice to this it is gorgeous – I had a recipe for impossible lemon cheesecake I tore out of ‘The Australian Gourmet Traveller’ years ago- brilliant tart but I lost the recipe. I think it is essentially this one but with the juice of 2 lemons and lemon rind in it as well. About to try it now so hopefully it works out!
Really light and very moorish!
JT – coconut could be an acquired taste. You think?
I’m not a huge cocounut fan, perhaps thats why despite living in sydney for my entire life I’ve never heard of this pie!
Love the blog though!
I had a party on Saturday night and made this recipe thanks to your post. Really delicious. So weird how it all comes out. I think it might also be good with some bananas cooked inside (or would it still be magical?), or a drizzle, like raspberry or dark chocolate. I’ll have to experiment for next time.
This is so unique! I love tapping into recipes from other countries because they can often be so interesting and simple and most likely they seem to use fewer convenience foods than ours!
This sounds like a yummy version – at Christmas time Impossible Pie with Eggnog topped with a dollop of spiced whipped cream are easy and full of favorite holiday spices (and cheer)
Love Gourmet Jack’s comment – bloody fantastic
Hi Patti, Aren’t you kind about Aussie travellers. It’s been a while since we travelled together but still remember it for the blast that it was. Yes you do concentrate on sweets more than Aussies would but I might even try the coconut dessert!!!!! Hi to Larry
ooohhh…I have a new dessert to make this weekend! Great idea, thanks!
Patti:
this sounds very yummy.
wondering if you have any new GLUTEN FREE dessert ideas to share?
or entrees with rice, chicken and veggies? I had made a curry that was pretty good that i can tell you about.
Thanks. hope you are well
best,
amy
You have to love the old recipes that are handed down in families! Unfortunately, my mom did not cook very much and the ones that might have existed from my grandmother are gone. I have had to start from scratch.
This pie looks really tasty! It is nice to have a few simple recipes to fall back on for dessert. I will have to check out Gourmet Jack.
This makes me even more jealous of those food bloggers whose family has left them with a rich culinary culture and a stack of tried-and-true recipes. My mother (love her) is the worst cook on the planet, as she readily admits. I learned it all myself out of desperation after a childhood of overbaked chicken breasts, overbaked fish, and frozen vegetables. I comfort myself with the thought that my children will have the stack of family recipes I do not.
Bloody fantastic. So glad you gave it a shot, and joined the ranks of astonished Impossible Pie people. Thank you for the cross-link, I appreciate it. (BTW – I am an Aussie expat spending time in San Antonio, Texas … Just like North Queesnland where I grew up.) Keep an eye on GJ, lots more Rose Collection recipes in the hopper.
GJ