Ingredients
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cups bread, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 package bacon
1 large white onion, minced
¼ cup red bell pepper, minced
⅓ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup heavy cream
3 eggs, divided
½ lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
½ Tablespoon distilled white vinegar (to poach eggs)
¼ cup hollandaise sauce
1 pinch cayenne pepper, to garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Butter the inside of 2 x 10-ounce ramekins and place on baking sheet. Set aside.
Place the bread cubes into a large bowl. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil until hot. Add the bacon and cook on medium heat until browned and almost crisp (about 5 minutes). Remove the bacon from the pan, mince it, and set it aside.
Remove the excess oil from the skillet. Over medium heat, stir in the onion and cook until translucent (about 2 minutes). Stir in the red pepper and cook for one additional minute.
Stir in the chicken broth and cream, cooking over medium heat until simmering (about 2 minutes).
Pour the cream mixture over the bread cubes. Mix thoroughly until all the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in one egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and tarragon.
Stir in the crab, bacon, salt, and pepper.
Spoon the bread pudding mixture into the ramekins. Bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes).
While the bread pudding is cooking, poach each of the two remaining eggs. Set aside, keeping warm.
Remove the pudding from the ramekins and top each with a poached egg. Serve with hollandaise sauce and cayenne pepper.