Whole Trout with Apple Mustard and Charred Cabbage Apple Slaw

Ingredients

• 4 whole rainbow trout
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 20 turns of the pepper mill or scant 1 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 4 sprigs sage
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• ⅔ cup Apple Mustard<br>

Apple Mustard

• 1 ½ pounds apples, diced, skin and core intact (6 cups)
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• ½ small orange, sliced thin, seeds removed
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
• ⅓ cup smooth Dijon mustard
• ⅓ cup cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 star anise
• 4 cloves
• 3 sprigs thyme

Instructions

1. 1
   Season each fish, inside and out, with 3 tablespoons olive oil, black pepper, and salt. Stuff the cavity of each fish with lemon slices, 1 sprig sage, and 1 sprig rosemary.
2. 2
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a 12inch cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Once it’s shimmering, add 2 trout and brown them on both sides. If your pan is nice and hot, it should take about 3 minutes per side. Transfer them to a baking sheet. Add remaining oil and brown the remaining trout. Slide all four trout onto the middle rack of your oven and roast for 15 minutes.
3. 3
   Serve warm with the apple mustard and slaw.
4. 4
   For the Mustard: In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, combine the apples and their cores, onions, orange slices, cider, water, sugar, mustard, vinegar, cayenne, and salt. Put the star anise, cloves and thyme in a sachet and drop it in. Bring it up to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and cook for an hour, checking periodically to make sure the pan is not dry.
5. 5
   Remove the sachet and transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and blend till totally smooth. Put the apple butter back in the Dutch oven and cook uncovered on low heat another 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt or brown sugar to your liking.