{"id":2719,"date":"2017-10-16T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=2719"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:59:14","slug":"julies-impossible-pecan-pie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/16\/julies-impossible-pecan-pie\/","title":{"rendered":"Julie’s Impossible Pecan Pie"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 16, 2017<\/span><\/p>\n

Julie Paradise is the Queen of Impossible Pies.<\/p>\n

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Julie Paradise<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I ate Impossible Pies back in the 1970s. \u00a0 Savory Impossible Pies were a favorite of Auntie Helen. Auntie Helen was actually the aunt of Gene d\u2019Aquili, my College Advisor. Ultimately, years later, I went into psychiatric practice with him. I spent lots of time with Gene and his family, including Auntie Helen, and her sister, Auntie Louise, from the early 1970s until the late 1980s when I left Philadelphia and moved to Tucson for a year before settling in Chicago. In a previous blog post<\/a>, I talked about Auntie Helen and Auntie Louise.<\/p>\n

Auntie Helen was especially fond of Impossible Tuna Pie. I have \u201cher\u201d recipe which exactly matches one I found on the internet a few months ago. I\u2019m going to guess it was the one put out by the makers of Bisquick\u00ae way back in the day!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve only ever had sweet impossible pies from Julie, but she says she makes savory ones too. Her take: \u201cGreen bean is delicious. Broccoli is fantastic and pretty. Zucchini is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julie is one of those folks who doesn\u2019t like pie crust\u2026and there are plenty of them. For her, Impossible Pies are the perfect solution.<\/p>\n

On our recent visit to Julie and Gay\u2019s home on Fire Island Julie made three Impossible Pies during a six-day stay. We ate every last crumb!<\/p>\n

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Deer near Gay and Julie’s deck eating geraniums out of my hand<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Impossible Pies appear at the end of most every dinner that Gay and Julie host in Santa Fe and I wouldn\u2019t want it any other way.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve read my rants <\/a>about the adverse health effects of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats. That\u2019s what baking mix (OK, let\u2019s call it what it is, we\u2019re really talking about Bisquick\u00ae) used to contain. I\u2019m here to say: NO LONGER!<\/p>\n

In prepping for making Julie\u2019s Impossible Pecan Pie, I researched \u201cbaking mix\u201d substitutes. There are many recipes available, all of which are very similar (flour, some sort of oil or fat, a bit of sugar, and baking powder). My plan was to make up a substitute rather than use the real thing because of my zero tolerance policy for hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats.<\/p>\n

On a stroll through the supermarket, I saw the baking mix section and decided to take a look. That\u2019s when I discovered that the good folks at Betty Crocker had changed the formula and replaced the partially hydrogenated fat with vegetable oil. I actually bought a box, intending to make all those things I had as a kid that were based on Bisquick and Auntie Helen\u2019s Impossible Tuna Pie after making Julie\u2019s Impossible Pecan Pie.<\/p>\n

I looked at several other brands of baking mix and discovered that not all manufacturers are as enlightened as Betty. Partially hydrogenated fat was still a common ingredient in many of them. (There are also some specialty Bisquick products that contain\u2014or may contain\u2014based on the label, partially hydrogenated fats. It\u2019s best to stick with what is labeled as the \u201cOriginal\u201d (which, of course it really isn\u2019t) or the HeartSmart.<\/p>\n

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A funny thing happened with all this thinking about baking mix and baking mix substitutes. I realized that for all practical purposes, an Impossible Pie is like a Clafoutis! The only real difference is that the baking mix contains baking powder and the standard recipe for clafoutis does not. Given the variability of recipes from cook to cook, I guess it wouldn\u2019t be unreasonable to call this a Pecan Clafoutis! And, as Julie says, a Clafoutis is best right out of the oven while an Impossible Pie is just fine at room temperature.<\/p>\n

So, while I don\u2019t often make Julia Child\u2019s recipe for Clafoutis I think there are lots of Impossible Pies in my future.<\/p>\n

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Julie's Impossible Pecan Pie<\/h2>\n
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Although I used a mixer, as you\u2019ll see in the pictures, a blender is easier and produces a smoother batter. Also, the original pie pan I chose was too small. You\u2019ll see that I started putting everything into the 9-inch pan. I had to switch to a 10-inch deep dish pan! Although not part of Julie's original recipe, I've successfully added 1\/4 teaspoon of almond essence to this pie. It's not enough to give the pie an almond flavor but it does amplify the nuttiness!<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span> 15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>8<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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