Đul-pita, or ružice – one of the most charmingly named sweet treats from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Đul means roses, a word derived from the Turkish word for roses – gül, and ruzice means little roses.

This is essentially a type of baklava shaped to look like flowering roses (a marvellously easy technique, especially if you use ready made filo as I do when I am short on time) and is filled with walnuts and/or raisins, and of course soaked in syrup. I filled mine with a combination of ground almonds and roughly chopped walnuts for texture. Taking inspiration from the name, I make a lemon and rose syrup topped with rose petals. The strength of rose water varies greatly, so I suggest you try as below but adjust it according to your taste.

The below makes 24 ružice.

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Ingredients

  • 200g butter, melted and cooled

  • 200g ground almonds

  • 300g walnuts, coarsely ground or chopped

  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

  • 2 lemons, zested for 3 tsp zest and juiced for 3 tbsp lemon juice

  • 12 sheets of filo pastry (2 x 270g packets)

  • 500g granulated or white caster sugar

  • 350ml water

  • 1 tsp rose water (or to taste)

  • Dried rose petals, to serve (optional)

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Directions

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cool.
  • Place the almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, and 2 tsp lemon zest in a large bowl and mix well to combine. You may find it helpful to divide the nut mixture in three.
  • Preheat the oven to 170C (fan) / 375F /Gas Mark 5. Line a large baking sheet (about 40x30cm) with baking parchment.
  • Lay the filo out on a clear work surface near your baking sheet, with the melted butter and the nut mixture within easy reach. Cover the filo sheets with a clean, damp (but not wet) kitchen towel while you are working to avoid the filo sheets drying out and cracking.
  • Lay one sheet of filo on your work surface and brush with melted butter. Scatter some of the nut mixture evenly over the sheet. Lay a second filo sheet over but approximately 5 cm below the narrow edge of the first filo sheet. Brush it with melted butter, and evenly scatter some of the nut mixture. Repeat with a third filo sheet, again laying it 5cm below the narrow edge of the second filo sheet, brushing it with melted butter and evenly scattering with the nut mixture again. You should have used up around a third of the nut mixture. Roll the filo sheets gently upwards, starting from the bottom narrow edge of the third filo sheet. Make sure you roll tightly but care not to tear the filo sheets or spill too much of the nut mixture. You should end up with a baklava roll with the nut mixture inside. Lay a fourth filo sheet and brush it with melted butter. Place the roll seam side down and roll it tightly in this filo sheet – this is to ensure the roll stays tight with the nut mixture well encased. Next cut the roll into 8 (roughly 2 cm wide) wheels or baklava roses). Place the baklava roses on your prepared baking sheet – leaving some space between each. Repeat the above steps two more times. You should end up with 24 baklava roses.
  • Brush the top of each baklava rose with some butter and then place baking parchment over the baklava roses. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the baklava roses are golden. If after 30 minutes the baklava roses are not golden, remove the baking parchment and bake for up to a further 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make your syrup. Place the sugar, water, 1 tsp of lemon zest and 3 tbsp of lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil, stirring very gently to dissolve the sugar. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10-12 minutes, until syrupy. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly, then add the rose water. Set aside to cool completely.
  • When your baklava roses are golden, remove from the oven, gently transfer them to a serving platter and immediately drench them evenly with the syrup. Set aside, allowing the baklava roses to absorb all (or most) of the syrup. Serve sprinkled with rose petals.