In the middle of a global pandemic, one San Antonio writer turns with her mother to a nostalgic family recipe for Bisquick pie.
Story and photograph by Dawn Robinette
Wrapping my head around what was in my pantry and what would be a treat, I spotted that trusty, yet neglected, box of Bisquick hidden on the shelf.
The sight of it sparked a flavor memory. Something my mother always made.
Yet she’d forgotten about it, as had I.
As it happens, my mother was visiting when I pulled out the blender and the recipe. She gasped and asked for a copy.
See, many of her recipes were lost to Hurricane Katrina.
The fact that I’m repopulating her collection in the midst of the storm we’re in now is oddly full circle.
And comforting.
She and I laughed over cooking memories and the fact that the blender whirring this together belonged to my grandmother.
In my mind’s eye, I still see it sitting in her avocado green kitchen of long ago.
The scribbled recipe in my collection just says coconut pie. Bisquick called it “Impossible Coconut Pie,” but there’s nothing impossible about it.
I swear, you can’t mess this recipe up. I’ve thrown in more vanilla, piled more coconut on top and have considered cutting the butter, but don’t want to mess with the custard-like goodness that the recipe creates. I’ve also cooked it a little too long, giving the coconut a darker color.
One caveat—don’t undercook it: it will be soupy and impossible to cleanly cut.
But do refrigerate it, if you have leftovers.
Since I introduced it to my family this month, that old blender has gotten a workout and the pies I’ve churned out don’t last long.
You’ll find various recipes for Bisquick pie online, but this one gives a nod to Bisquick and duplicates my mother’s. Some recipes call for flour and baking powder instead of biscuit mix, so if you don’t have a trusty box of Bisquick on the shelf, don’t despair.
An award-winning writer, communications expert and military spouse who enjoys unearthing new discoveries and revisiting old favorites in her adopted hometown of San Antonio, Dawn Robinette loves to tell stories. You can follow communications work at Tale to Tell Communications and read more of her musings at Alamo City Moms, Rio Magazine, and Texas Lifestyle Magazine.
