First, The Armenian Kitchen wishes everyone a truly Happy,
Peace-filled 2017!
Second, To help ring-in the New Year, my dear friend, Sonia Tashjian, has sent in a
very special Armenian treat to help you and your loved-ones celebrate the coming year.
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Sonia Tashjian's 'Tsal-Tsul' New Year Dessert! |
So, I understand this to mean that tsal-tsul is a
cross between the gata and pakhlava.
Here is Sonia’s recipe …
Ingredients for the dough:
3 yolks
1 cup sour cream
14 (yes, fourteen!) Tbsp. of butter
2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
Flour (as Sonia puts it: ‘There is an Armenian expression,
enough flour that is needed to make a dough.’)
Ingredients for the filling:
5 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cups of chopped walnuts
Egg wash: 2 beaten yolks for brushing
Syrup: 1 cup of honey mixed with
1/2 cup of water to pour on it after baking
Instructions:
1. To prepare the dough: In a small bowl, mix
together the egg yolks and sour cream; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add 2
cups of flour and the baking powder. Cut-in the butter until it is resembles
small peas. Mix in the yolk-sour cream mixture. Add enough flour, a little at a
time, to create a workable dough. Knead the dough; divide it into 3 equal parts,
let it stand for 15 minutes. Roll each section, one at a time, with a rolling
pin into a rectangular shape to fit into a 9”x13” pan.
2. Prepare the filling: whisk together the egg whites
and sugar until light and fluffy, then gently add the cinnamon and chopped walnuts.
3. Place the first rectangular layer of dough in the tray;
spread half of the filling mixture, then place the second layer of dough &
the rest of the filling, then top it with the 3rd layer of dough. Carefully
flatten the surface with fingers.
4. Glaze: Whisk the 2 yolks, brush the surface, cut into
squares or diamond shapes and bake in a preheated 350 to 375°F oven until
golden.
5. After taking the
pan out of the oven, pour the honey syrup over the top, let it cool &
absorb the liquid.