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Some of Elmira's holiday favorites are surprisingly quick and easy to make.

Baked Trout with tarragon Gata (Armenian Sweet Bread)

Baked fish is one of the most traditional and This was the first recipe Elmira learned from her
typical dishes in an Armenian feast. Elmira has grandmother. The Armenian sweet bread is most
continued the tradition of serving it tableside. often enjoyed as dessert or a breakfast pastry.

Makes: 16 servings Prep: 1hr. 30 minutes Cook: 40 minutes
Dough: Filling:
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
plus more for dusting ½ cup sugar
7 ounces unsalted butter, cold ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup plain whole milk yogurt 2 ounces unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ cups finely chopped raw
1 large egg walnut halves
Pinch of fine sea salt 1 large egg, beaten

Put the flour onto a work surface. Grate the butter into the flour using a
box grater. Use a pastry cutter or a chef’s knife to work the butter into
the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of
the flour mixture and add the yogurt, baking soda, egg and salt. Knead
with your hands to combine into a soft, smooth dough. Form the dough
Makes: 5 servings Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 35 minutes into a ball and cut it into two even pieces. Roll both pieces into balls
and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
One 1 ½ pound whole trout, 1 large bunch fresh tarragon
gutted, scaled, rinsed and patted (about 2 ounces), tough stems or overnight to firm up.
dry (see Cook’s Note) trimmed Combine the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl until the ingredients are
2 tablespoons fine sea salt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut combined. Add the softened butter and vanilla. Continue to work until
1 lemon, sliced into ¼-inch slices into 4 pieces it resembles a coarse meal and sticks together when squeezed.
1 potato, sliced into ¼-inch slices ¼ cup hot water Roll out one ball of dough into an 11x16- inch rectangle. Sprinkle half
1 medium ripe tomato, cored, Juice of 1 lemon of the vanilla mixture on top of the dough in an even layer. Sprinkle
halved and sliced ¼-inch thick half of the chopped walnuts (3/4 cup) evenly on top. Brush egg all
around the border. Roll dough up over the filling into a tube and enclose
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. the ends. With a fork, make a crisscross pattern across the top of the
Lay the trout on a cutting board or work surface and sprinkle generously dough. Brush with egg wash. Cut the on a diagonal into eight pieces.
inside and out with the salt. Lay slices of potato on the bottom of a Arrange the pieces side-by-size on a baking pan. Repeat with remaining
baking dish in an even layer. Set the fish on top. Stuff the inside of the dough and filling.
fish with half of the tomato slices and half of the tarragon and add Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F until golden. Cool and serve.
the slices of butter inside. Lay the lemon slices and remaining slices
of tomato on top of and around the fish. Pour the hot water into the
baking dish around the fish and add half of the lemon juice. Cover the
baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake the fish for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until
the eye of the fish has turned white and the flesh is flaky, an additional
15 minutes.
Remove the cooked tarragon from the inside of the fish and discard.
Drizzle the remaining lemon juice over the fish and top with the
remaining tarragon. Present the fish in the baking dish on the table.
Cut off the head and then slice the fish crosswise into five even pieces.