Ingredients
Serving: 8 (2 1/2-inch) biscuits
For the Sweet Biscuits:
- 7 tablespoons cold diced salted butter
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons White Lilly all-purpose flower
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
For the Strawberries:
- 2 pints strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
For the Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Orange Custard Sauce:
Makes 2 cups
Chefs note:
You’ll find many ways to use this sauce. It goes especially well with dense, rich, chocolate deserts.
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar, zest of ½ orange
- ¼ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 egg yolks
Directions
Sweet Biscuit Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Dice the butter, put it on a plate and place it in the refrigerator to remain cold while assembling the other ingredients.
- Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, and salt.
- Add the diced butter and cut into the flour with either a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture is crumbly.
- Add the buttermilk a little at a time until the sough comes together and forms a ball. Place it on a floured surface, sprinkle it with flour, and pat it out to a 1-inch-thick circle.
- Cut the biscuits with a 2 ½ -inch biscuit cutter and place them on a heavy baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with cream and sprinkle heavily with remaining sugar.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.
Strawberry Directions:
- When ready to serve the biscuits, toss the sliced strawberries with the sugar and let them sit for 5 minutes before plating them. The combination of the sugars and the natural juices of the strawberries will produce a nice strawberry syrup.
Whipped Cream Directions:
- Place the cold cream in a chilled mixing bowl.
- Whip in the sugar slowly and add the vanilla.
- Continue to whip until the cream has tripled in volume and is firm yet creamy.
Orange Custard Sauce Directions:
- Place the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with half the sugar, the orange zest, and vanilla bean.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the other half of the sugar until combined. Heat the cream over medium heat until there are small bubbles around the edges.
- Slowly stream the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly
- When half the cream is incorporated into the egg mixture, slowly pour the mixture back into the pan of hot cream, stirring continuously.
- Place the pan over low heat and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook the custard until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Strain into a container.
- Take out the vanilla bean and scrape the vanilla bean seeds from the pod into the custard.
- Discard the vanilla bean and the orange zest.
- Cool immediately in an ice bath. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cooled. Orange custard sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
To Plate:
- Split the biscuits and place the bottom half on each plate. Spoon the strawberries over the bottom halves, add a dollop of whipped cream and replace the tops. Spoon orange custard sauce around the edges.
