It's easy, but always a great brunch favorite.

The accompaniments were quite simple. Cantaloupe with Prosciutto and banana bread muffins were the simple sides we threw together, and I am not going to go into too much detail there. (If you want more detail though, feel free to ask!)

The main attraction though was my Crab Cake Eggs Benedict on Grilled Asparagus with Chipotle Hollandaise. The results were really fantastic, so feel free to whip this one up if you want to impress, or if there is a special brunch you are working on.

First off, get the crab cakes and asparagus done, and keep them warm in the oven. The asparagus is really simple. I trim the ends, and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I just cook them at a high temperature either on a grill pan on the stove, or under a broiler. Either way is good, just be sure to only use the dry heat method. No pre-boiling or steaming if you ask me.

The crab cakes I made were similar to the ones we make at my restaurant. You can of course use your own, but here are the ingredients in mine:

• Jumbo Lump Crab meat (use back fin if you want to save a few bucks)
  
• Mayo
  
• Dijon mustard
  
• Shallot
  
• Garlic
  
• Jalapeño pepper
  
• Lemon zest
  
• Panko bread crumbs
  
• Old Bay, salt and pepper
  
• Egg Yolks
  

I mix them in varying amounts of course, based on what I feel like, but I try to keep all the ingredients to a minimum since you want the crab falvor to be at the forefront. The egg yolks - about 2 per every pound of crab meat - are the great binder that keeps the cakes together. I add them last and the mixture really just seizes together. Fry them in about 1 inch of oil oat 350 degrees until brown on both sides, and place in the oven.

The final product - click to enlarge

With those items done, and the stove top once again clear, I began warming the water for the egg poaching, and clarifying half a stick of butter for the hollandaise. I chopped up a chipotle in adobo, and mixed three egg yolks and three tablespoons of cold water in a separate measuring cup. I heat a saucepan of water with a bowl on top as a double boiler, and whisked the egg yolks and water in there to begin whipping air into them. As they heated up and began to lighten in color, I removed them from the heat while still stirring and gradually added the warm clarified butter. Finished with salt, lemon juice and enough of the chipotle to give it some kick, and that was ready to go.

Egg poaching being pretty self-explanatory, I was ready to assemble as soon as these guys were done. I spread the asparagus on the plate as a crown (5 spears), added a crab cake, then a poached egg and of course covered the pile with the hollandaise. I finished with some paprika, and the result was just a fabulous dish to look at as well as eat.

I hope you all enjoy, and happy Easter!