I think any good combination of herbs would be great since this is such a basic herb vinaigrette recipe. Parsley should be a great option, seems like it would pair nicely with the tarragon. Maybe some dill? Any combination will have its own unique flavor but as long as the herbs complement each other you should end up with a great dressing… let me know what you end up doing and how it turns out!

My mom’s stollens (which she usually makes in Santa Fe) come out pretty small and hard as well; we successfully made it this way in Arvada last year and it turned out much better. I’m sure the altitude has something to do with that – she’s at over 7000 feet and we’re at about 5600. Be sure to use the “HA”-designated quantities and baking instructions in this recipe if you try it – that’s where I modified her original recipe. My “coach” throughout this experiment was a book called “Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes” by Susan G. Purdy; she doesn’t have a recipe like this but her excellent first few chapters explain why you should reduce sugar and baking powder, add eggs or extract, etc. – and they are great guidelines for altering recipes successfully. If yours still turns out like a rock, try subbing some yogurt for some of the ricotta cheese and let me know how that goes. The extra acid is supposed to help your breads rise and stay moist at this altitude (yogurt, buttermilk, etc). I should point out that this is NOT a yeast recipe however; I haven’t yet tried baking “real” bread, though I plan to soon!

My mom makes her stollen both ways – with and without the raisins and candied citrus. I don’t believe that she changes the recipe at all when she adds the fruit; she just makes a loaf with it and a loaf without it. We’ll be making it again in about a week so if there are any adjustments I’ll be sure to post something about it or let you know!