Serves 2

This is a marvelous dish for special occasions.  Rich and decadent, yet refined, it is bound to please the most discriminating and urbane of palates.

The Stuffing:

1 cup blanched almonds

1 tablespoon of butter

2 or 3 shallots, chopped fine

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon minced fresh dill weed

The juice of half a lemon

A pinch of sugar

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Roughly chop the almonds and pulverize in your blender, food processor or coffee mill.  Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and lightly sauté the shallots.  They should be soft, pinkish and translucent, but not yet beginning to brown.  Add remaining ingredients except egg white and toss about gently in the pan until all are hot through and coated with the butter.  If the mixture looks too dry, add a tablespoon or two of fish or chicken broth.  Allow to cool, then gently stir in the lightly beaten egg white.  Set aside.

The Wine Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon flour

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup inexpensive cream Sherry

A pinch of minced fresh dill weed

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter over a medium-low heat and whisk in the flour.  When the flour and butter are thoroughly mixed add the white wine and the Sherry and continue to whisk until the sauce is the consistency of cream and is translucent, not pasty looking.  If the sauce looks to thick, add a few spoons full of chicken or fish stock. Add the dill weed and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Keep warm while you prepare the trout.

The Trout:

2 fresh trout – (try to find ones that have been cleaned and scaled but still have the head and tail on)

4 strips of lean very thinly sliced bacon

Lemons

Rinse the trough inside and out in cold running water, pat dry.  Divide the stuffing between the two trout and secure the body closed with a wooden tooth pick.  Use one or two strips of bacon and wrap each trout in a spiral fashion, like a barber pole.  Secure with tooth picks.  Place the trout on a broiler pan and lay 2 or 3 thin slices of lemon on each fish.  Place under the broiler and cook to desired degree of doneness, or until the bacon is crisp on top. This will probably take between five and seven minutes. 

To serve, place on individual oval plates.  Remove the tooth picks and pour the wine sauce over them.  Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill weed and wedges of lemon.  Serve warm. 

Perfect accompaniments would be mushrooms and asparagus or broccoli rabb.