January 20, 2019 - Rozata, also known as Rožata or Rožada, is a traditional Dubrovnik delicacy, and the cultural links between Dubrovnik and Boka Bay have made this sweet dish almost as long as this part of Montenegro. It is a cooked cream named after a rose liqueur, known as Rozalin, which is used to aromatize this delicious dessert. Since domestic, scented roses are less and less lush in Bokelian gardens, cooks often use rum instead of Rozalin.
The first records of Rozata come from the Venetian Republic, and this dish was mentioned for the first time in 1300 under the name "Brother’s pudding." During the time, it had undergone the influences of Mediterranean cuisine, getting a caramel wrap. It is kind of our version of the Italian "Crema Caramel", the French "Crème Brulee" and the Spanish "Flan."
Rozata was one of the rare sweets in which the children of the Bokelian families enjoyed. Mothers served it after a Sunday lunch, and otherwise only when the guests came.
Rozata is a dish of fantastic flavor, which is easy to prepare with a few ingredients. It is probably one of the reasons for its survival in this area. Everything you need to make it includes eggs, sugar, and milk, a bit of lemon, vanilla sugar and Rozalin, or rum.
Ingredients:
1 liter of milk
12 eggs
Ten tablespoons of sugar for the mixture
7 tablespoons of caramel sugar
3 tablespoons of liqueur Rozalin or rum
3 packets of vanilla sugar
Grated rind of one lemon
Preparation:
In a bowl, on moderate heat, melt the sugar into the caramel. Lightly mix the sugar until the caramel gets dark brown. Pour it into a mold to prepare the Rozata. Make sure the caramel covers the frame on all sides. It is best to prepare it in a bowl mold, but make sure that caramel covers all the inner surfaces of the cooking pot.
In the other pot, you will use the milk, eggs, and sugar that you have prepared for the mixture, vanilla sugar, Rozalin or rum, and a lemon rind. Rozata is best mixed by hand, rather than by a mixer, to prevent too much foaming.
Put the mixture prepared into the previously cooled caramel-coated mold. Cover the frame with aluminum foil that will be firmly fixed to prevent air from entering.
In a bigger pot, put the mold with the prepared Rozata and drain water to two-thirds of the depth of that pot. Cook it at a moderate temperature for about an hour. Make sure not to overcook the Rozata, because bubbles will occur in its structure, which we do not want.
Remove the cooked Rozata from the outer court and place the mold, from which you removed the aluminum foil, into the oven to seal for ten minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. Before putting it in the oven, make sure it is well cooked. It needs to be compact - a texture of pudding.
When your beautifully roasted Rozata is well cooled (when it is cold, put it in the fridge), cover the mold with a serving bowl. Turn the mold on the serving plate, and your Rzsata will have a small cake shape, which you will easily cut into beautiful slices.
