Makes 6 biscuits
Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons orange zest
3 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
½ cup sweet vanilla dried strawberries
Directions
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl, and gently mix. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. (Or pulse several times in a food processor.) Combine the cream, zest, orange juice and basil in a measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the flour, and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just combined; it should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Gently knead by hand five or six times to create a loose ball.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into an 8-inch square, ¾ to 1 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment, cover with plastic, and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Cut the dough into even shapes of your choice- circles, squares, triangles and spread them about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.