Ispahan scones

Ispahan raspberry, rose water and lychee scones recipe … and Paris comes to Barcelona!

by Lili
August 15, 2015
43 comments
Special everyday cakes and treats

They’ve been constructing Paris near my house and playing accordion music as they work.  There are giant croissants and brioches too.  No, I’m not hallucinating on absinthe, la fée verte, like Parisian artists of yore.  It’s all part of Barcelona’s annual festival in my lovely neighbourhood of Gracia.  Les festes de Gràcia start today and I’m celebrating with some Ispahan raspberry, rose water and lychee scones inspired by Pierre Hermé’s beautiful Ispahan book and recipe.  Le posh joins le easy in this heavenly buttery Franco-Brit production which is somehow Parisian in essence.  More accordion music please with my scones.

Ispahan scones

Ispahan scones

Preparing Paris

Here’s the link to some traditional French accordion music on youtube if you’d like to get in the mood and see some views of Paris.  Yesterday in a street just down from mine, neighbours were still preparing decorations and props for their own mini early 20th century Paris.  Can you see the Eiffel tower?  More photos later…Preparing les festes de graciaFailure?  Oh la la!  Mais non…

Back to the recipe, which I almost didn’t publish.  When I first saw my scones they didn’t seem very risen and had tiny specks inside but then I ate one, and another, and…  Well four delicious scones later, punctuated by sounds of me going ‘hmmm’ while mentally thanking Hermé, I decided to give you the recipe after all.  Even if these scones don’t look perfect, once you bite into them you won’t care!

Have an Ispahan scone

The recipe 

I followed my own scone recipe and method but used Hermé’s idea of adding rose water, rose syrup and chopped dehydrated or freeze-dried raspberries (which you can make or buy).  I also added a little lychee juice as I felt it wouldn’t be an Ispahan scone without it, but you could replace this with water.  Do always feel free to replace ingredients where necessary, though I recommend the dried raspberries rather than sour cherries or other dried fruit.

Ispahan scones

Ispahan scones

Method

Dehydrating the raspberries:  in my dehydrator it takes between 5 and 7 hours.  Keep a close eye on them towards the end or they’ll go too dark.  Hermé says 200g of fresh raspberries produces 40g of dehydrated ones and he places them in an oven on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper at 110°C/230°F (static, non-convection oven) or 90°C/190°F (fan-assisted oven) for 2 hours, moving the raspberries around every 30 minutes.  Let them cool then chop roughly.Dehydrated and chopped raspberriesThe scones

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (static, non-convection oven) or 180°C/350°F (fan-assisted oven)

Follow the instructions on my scone recipe here (there are illustrations and a nice little story).  All the wet ingredients are whisked in one bowl (except the water) and the dry ingredients in another large bowl, where you rub in the butter. Fold in the raspberries at the end.  making sconesFinally the scones are brushed with beaten egg.

Brush scones with egg washBake 12 to 15 minutes, when they should be golden brown.  If you bake a few extra minutes too long (my main mistake) you might get little specks inside but they still taste lovely.

Wet ingredients

  • 140g/half a cup natural greek yoghurt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 70g/a quarter of a cup plus 2 teaspoons sparkling water (add another tablespoon or two at the end if the dough’s dry)
  • 1 good tablespoon/20g rose syrup
  • 1 tablespoon and half a teaspoon/20g lychee juice from a can of lychees – optional (you can replace with water)
  • 2 teaspoons/10g rose water

Dry ingredients

  • 350g/2 cups and four-fifths cake or plain/all-purpose flour – you can also use spelt flour
  • scant quarter teaspoon salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • half tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
  • 50g/a scant quarter cup caster sugar or xylitol
  • 30g/1 cup dried raspberries
  • 80g/a third of a cup or 5 and a half tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into little pieces)

Finishing

  • 1 beaten egg to brush on the scones

Well, that’s all folks.  An easy recipe and c’est top, j’ai été bluffé!  Translation:  Brilliant!  I was bowled over!  Serve warm or at room temperature with butter or clotted cream.  And maybe some raspberry jam.  These scones can be stored at room temperature in airtight tupperware and are also great the next day as they have a very light, soft cake-like crumb.  Shot through with little hits of intense raspberry amongst the subtle rose, lychee and slight saltiness in the background.

More Paris in Barcelona

Quick culture break!  Here are a few more photos of preparations for the festival.

Paris in Barcelona - les festes de Grácia

Will they be doing the can-can on stage I wonder.  Or perhaps selling some paintings?

Paris in Barcelona - les festes de GráciaThere’ll be no elevator rides up this Eiffel tower but it’s still very impressive.  In my festival guide it says it’s a homage to the neighbours who climbed it in 1956.  Sweet.

Paris in Barcelona - les festes de GráciaAlmost as impressive as these humongous though slightly knobbly croissants.

Paris in Barcelona - les festes de GráciaGracia’s festival lasts all week so I’ll be wandering the streets, taking photos to share with you and soaking up the atmosphere.  Which I’ll also appreciate from my flat as the excited and rumbustious masses stroll by in the street below.  Actually at 9 this morning there was half an hour of extremely loud fireworks and beating drums to herald the start of the festival.  Ahem, time to bring out the yummy Ispahan scones for breakfast with a pot of soothing Paradise Jasmine tea.  C’est la vie. 🙂

Ispahan scone and tea for breakfast

Ispahan scone and tea for breakfast

OMG!  I read in my guide that one of the squares is dedicated to cakes and ice-creams, probably in papier maché form!  Woohoo!  You know I can hardly contain myself…  🙂  Then my friend sent me a photo of them still setting up the cakes at 3 this morning!

A smurf and a cake in la plaça de la vila

A smurf and possibly a Christmas pudding or chocolate confection in la plaça de la vila

Obelix and a cake in la plaça de la vila

Obelix and a tiered cake

What can I say?  Except, cakes!!!!  And now I’ll be preparing for my afternoon tea guest.  With tea?

Afternoon tea with Ispahan scones

Afternoon tea with Ispahan scones

Perhaps cava or champagne to celebrate? 🙂

Afternoon champagne tea with Ispahan scones

Afternoon champagne tea with Ispahan scones

I’d also like to share these scones and the festival with my friends at Fiesta Friday, hosted by Angie@thenovicegardener and the event that inspired me to make these treats, where you’ll find loads more yummy scones:   International Scone Week 2015 hosted by Tandy@Lavender and Lime.  Please all mingle and have an Ispahan raspberry, rose water and lychee scone with a little glass of cava.

Cava and Ispahan scones

Have I had too much cava?  Things don’t seem quite as straight as they should be!

Perhaps another little scone?

Have another Ispahan scone!

Hope you’ve all enjoyed seeing the festival preparations.  Au revoir mes amis et à bientôt!  Happy baking and eating!  And have a lovely weekend in your own cake dreamland! 🙂 x

 

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Baking on Sundays with my French mum was a lovely part of my childhood. Later I experimented with baking books or internet recipes and did the pâtisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Still trying out new recipes and inventing cakes with influences from all around the world, including some healthier ones. Yes, love cakes!!! Hope you'll love them too and have fun baking. :)

43 thoughts on “Ispahan raspberry, rose water and lychee scones recipe … and Paris comes to Barcelona!”

  3. Gen's avatar
    Gen says:

    Lili, your recipes are always so interesting and the amount of work you put into each dish is amazing. I marvel at every one of your eats and your beautiful photos too! All of your dishes are delightful!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lili's avatar
      Lili says:

      Thanks so much Gen for such lovely comments! That’s really sweet of you and motivating. I do love making, eating and sharing these cakes … so will keep trying! 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

  4. tanya2austin's avatar
    tanya2austin says:

    Ispahan scones– what a great idea! I used the flavor combo for panna cotta, granita, and finally a replica of the macaron dessert. Divine in all iterations.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lili's avatar
      Lili says:

      Thanks Tanya! I can understand your wish to make multiple Ispahan creations (will check them out soon!) and Hermé’s entire book dedicated to them. Beautiful. Got some more coming up soon too!! Vive le Ispahan!!! 🙂

      Like

  5. eclecticoddsnsods's avatar
    eclecticoddsnsods says:

    wow you live near there? YOu are so so lucky. I went to Marseilles recently and totally fell in love with it and seriously regret not having lived there for a few years in my 20’s, it would have been such fun x

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lili's avatar
      Lili says:

      Thank you Justine! Glad you like them and that you’re enjoying the accordion music … 🙂 It’s been lovely so far with some beautiful streets and great live music too, thanks! 🙂 x

      Like

  8. Lily's avatar
    Lily says:

    Beautiful scones Lili and to me, the flavor of raspberry, rose and lychee together is so romantic, soft, feminine and lovely. Thank you for sharing:)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lili's avatar
      Lili says:

      Thanks for dropping by Tandy! That’s great you’ve got a chef friend who can freeze-dry them for you – otherwise you could also oven-dry or buy them in a supermarket like Sainsburies. Thank you for hosting Intl Scone Week! 🙂

      Like

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