Trim the woody bottom part of the asparagus, and peel the stalks if too tough.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, and cook the asparagus for 5-6 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and preserve the bright green color.

Cut the tips of the asparagus - about 2-inches from the top, and reserve those pieces for garnishing. Chop the rest into small pieces.

In a blender, combine the milk, and the chopped asparagus pieces with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 Tbs of chopped tarragon, the nutmeg, black pepper, and the Parmesan cheese. Blend until smooth.

Run the blended mix through a sieve, then mix in the beaten eggs, and the cream. Taste, and adjust the salt and black pepper if needed.

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

Cut the bacon piece into small dice, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan, drain and reserve.  

In the same pan, melt 1 Tbs of butter, add the crab meat, with the rest of the chopped tarragon, salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes.

Butter 6 ramekins with about 1 Tbs of soft butter. Sprinkle some salt and pepper at the bottom, and divide the crab filling, and the reserved bacon among the ramekins. Pour about 1/2 cup of the egg mix into each ramekin, and place 3 pieces of the reserved asparagus spears on top.

Place the ramekins into a deep pan, fill half way with warm water, and bake the flans for 40-45 minutes, until they are no longer liquid in the middle. Slight jiggle is OK.

Remove and let cool. Serve warm, or at room temperature as an appetizer, or first course, and pair with a glass of chilled white wine!