Bearnaise Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dried tarragon
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup melted butter
• juice of 3/4 lemon
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup hot water

Bearnaise Sauce Method:
In a heavy sauté pan, cook the tarragon, wine vinegar, and diced shallot over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture becomes paste-like. Set aside.

Mix together eggs, 1/8 cup of hot water, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook in a double boiler until the mixture reaches the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove from heat. Add the melted butter slowly, stirring continuously. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin with the remaining 1/8 cup of hot water. Add the tarragon-wine vinegar-shallot mixture and blend well.

Halibut Oscar Ingredients:

• 4 6-ounce fresh halibut fillets
• 1 cup flour
• 4 whole eggs, beaten
• 4 ounces butter
• 16 pieces fresh asparagus, slightly blanched
• 8 ounces fresh Dungeness crab meat
• 12 ounces Bearnaise Sauce

Halibut Oscar Method:
Dip halibut fillets in egg and then dredge in flour.

Heat butter or margarine in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add halibut fillets and cook 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove from heat.

Place fillets on individual serving dishes, add asparagus and top with fresh Dungeness crab meat. Finish with 2-3 ounces of Bearnaise sauce spooned over each serving.

Yield: 4 servings