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Ružice
Walnut pastry roses in syrup
Bosnian walnut pastry roses soaked in syrup for Bajram
Ružice, meaning 'little roses', are baked for Bajram in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Eid holidays when trays of syrup-soaked sweets are set out for every guest. Thin sheets of pastry are brushed with butter, scattered with walnuts and rolled up, then sliced so each piece opens like a rose in the oven. The baked roses drink up a cold lemon syrup and turn sticky, crisp on top and soft underneath. Chef's tip: pour cold syrup over hot pastry (or hot over cold), never both the same temperature, or the roses go soggy.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 14 oz sugar
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 lemonsliced
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
For the roses
- 1 ⅛ lb filo pastry sheetsthawed
- 6 ½ oz buttermelted
- 9 oz walnutsfinely chopped
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Make the syrup first: boil the 14 oz sugar, 1 ¾ cups water, 1 lemon and 1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Leave to cool completely.
12 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and butter a 25 x 35 cm tin. Mix the 9 oz walnuts with the 3 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
5 minStep 3: Lay one sheet of 1 ⅛ lb filo pastry sheets on the worktop, brush with 3 ⅛ oz butter and lay a second sheet on top. Brush again, scatter with a sixth of the walnut mix and roll up loosely from the long side. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
15 minStep 4: Cut each roll into 4 cm pieces and stand them upright, cut side up, close together in the tin. Brush the tops with the rest of the 3 ⅛ oz butter.
5 minStep 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes until deep golden and crisp all the way to the centre of the tin. A common mistake is taking them out when only pale gold; the syrup then makes them soggy.
40 minStep 6: Pour the cold syrup slowly over the hot roses. Leave to soak for at least 3 hours before serving; they keep for 4 days covered.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ružice take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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