Basil Red Curry Biscuits

"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as you please." - Mark Twain

At this point in our internet relationship you’ve come to understand my obsession with biscuits. Although I must confess, my grandma would think I’m a bit off my rocker with these. Be that as it may, I’ve gotten the facts first and now I feel the need to distort them as I please.. With Red Curry. It’s a fact that buttermilk biscuits if not prepared right will make for better door stoppers than something right for human consumption. I’ve created a legion of these situations.. However, IF your biscuit dough resembles that of pimento cheese, your future will be bright. On the occasion that one may add golden crispy fried chicken to the center of said biscuits, then drizzles with cane syrup, more than greatness is undoubtedly ahead. You’re also about to enjoy a great meal. Fried Chicken and Biscuits would be the meal I was raised on, that and a bowl of hot grits cooked with a can of salmon Q. This was a meal that could transform from a simple Sunday supper to one’s 44th annual Southern Baptist Revival celebration. Also filling the tables of every wedding, christening, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Home Going ceremony… So one could say I’m partial to crispy crust and flaky centers.. Meaning.. I often find myself washing flour off my hands and adding ingredients not often mixed into biscuits, like red curry paste. Far from that of the basic biscuit variety, these are giving you that chili-lemongrass-coconut milk-cilantro- garlic tasting flavor and are leaning 100% on the savory dinner biscuit side.. A side that I'm starting to favor.

Basil Red Curry Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

6 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces, chilled

2 ½ tablespoons red curry paste

1 cup of buttermilk

Use this recipe for crispy fried chicken to add to these biscuits if desired.

Steen's Cane Syrup goes well with these when drizzle on a warm biscuit.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, whisk to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.. (think feta).

In a separate small bowl, whisk the red chili paste with the buttermilk until well combined. Add buttermilk mixture and basil, stirring gently to combine If the dough appears on the dry side, add more buttermilk. You want the dough to be wet. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, gently pat out until its about ½ thick. Fold the dough about 5 times and gently pat out to 1 inch thick.

Old school trick- after turning the dough out, cut in 4 sections. Stack each section on top of each other, then gently pat into 1 inch thickness.

Using biscuits cutters, cut into rounds.

Place the biscuits on cookie sheet, baking for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

For biscuits with soft sides, putting them touching each other on the cookie sheet. Placing them 1 inch apart will give you crispy sides