1 sm Carrot
1 sm Rib celery
1/2    Yellow onion
1 ts Dried thyme
1 lg Sprig fresh parsley
3 c  Water
1/2 c  White wine
1 1/2 ts Salt

-HERB BUTTER SAUCE –
2 tb Minced fresh chives
2 tb Minced fresh parsley
1/2 ts Tarragon
1/4 c Court Bouillon
1/4 c White wine
1 ts White-wine vinegar
6 tb Butter
1 ts Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
4 Trout fillets, unskinned

-COURT BOUILLON-
-OR- salmon-trout fillets

Court Bouillon: Peel the carrot and cut into thin slices. Cut celery
and onion into thin slices. In a non-reactive pot, combine all of the
ingredients; bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. You
should have about 3 cups. Court Bouillon can be made several days
ahead, or it can be frozen.

COOKING AND SERVING: Bring Court Bouillon to a simmer. Put the fillets,
skin side down, into the simmering liquid, lower heat, and poach gently
until fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove fish from
the liquid, peel off the skin, and cover to keep warm. Strain the Court
Bouillon and put 1/4 cup into a small saucepan. Reserve remaining
bouillon for another use. Add wine and vinegar to the saucepan and
bring to a boil; boil about 3 minutes until liquid is reduced to 2 tbs.
Over the lowest possible heat, whisk in the butter a bit at a time. The
butter should soften to make a creamy sauce but should not melt
completely. Stir in the chives, parsley, tarragon, and lemon juice.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the fish topped with the
sauce.

Yield: 4 servings.

NOTE: The Herb Butter Sauce here is a variation of the traditional
French beurre blanc. The sauce is rich and powerful, yet also subtle
enough so that it wont overpower the delicate taste of the poached
fish. The trick to making this sauce is to emulsify the butter without
melting it, so that the sauce is creamy. The acid in the wine and
vinegar aid in the emulsification. Whisk in the butter, a tbs at a
time, over the lowest possible heat, moving on and off the heat as
necessary.