Yield:  6 Servings

Crab Cakes
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup fresh white bread crumbs, plus more for coating
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon capers, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced onion
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of ½ lemon
1 pound lump crab meat, picked over for shells
Canola oil, for frying (or broil if you prefer)

Béarnaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tablespoon tarragon, chopped
1 Tablespoon shallots, chopped
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon black pepper
¾ pound butter, melted, warm

Asparagus
12 asparagus stalks

Poached Egg
3 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
6 eggs

For Crab Cakes:
Combine all ingredients except crab in a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the crabmeat. Form into 6 cakes of equal size and dredge in more bread crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the canola oil and fry crab cakes until golden on both sides.
 
For Béarnaise Sauce:
Place yolks, lemon juice, tarragon, shallots, vinegar and pepper in a stainless steel bowl and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to make a double boiler. Whisk constantly until mixture is thick and smooth, approximately 5-8 minutes. Whisk in warm butter slowly until sauce is thickness of lightly whipped cream. Keep warm until ready to serve.
 
For Asparagus:
Steam asparagus and set aside until ready to serve.

For Poached Eggs:
Combine the water, salt and vinegar in a 4 quart saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. You only want to see bubbles on the sides and bottom of the pan but do have large bubbles breaking the surface. Break each egg in a small bowl. Carefully slide each egg into the poaching water. Cook for about 3 minutes until the whites are set. Remove egg with a
slotted spoon and blot with a towel. Trim edges to make a nice oval shape. The eggs are ready now or can be placed in a cold water bath to cool and removed to reserve for later.

To Assemble:
Place warm crab cakes on plates. Set warm asparagus and next to cakes. Top each crab cake with a well drained poached egg and top with Béarnaise sauce!