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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. With a small serrated knife, cut off enough of the top of each brioche to enable you easily to scoop out most of the crumb inside, using a tsp. and your fingertips, leaving a shell about 1/3 inch thick. Set aside the hollowed out brioches and their tops on a baking sheet. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil.

Fill a mixing bowl with ice cubes and water. Snap off and discard the tough stem ends of the asparagus spears. With a sharp knife, cut off the tip of each spear and reserve. Cut the remainder of each spear at a 45-degree angle into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Boil the asparagus tips and pieces until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes; then, drain them and immediately plunge the pieces into the ice water. Drain and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add the shallots and saute them until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. With a sharp knife, cut the smoked salmon slices into thin strips. Set them aside. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl. With a whisk, beat them until the whites and yolks are well mixed. Whisking continuously, pour in the cream. Season with a little pepper and stir in the sauteed shallots. In a heavy saute pan over low heat, melt 4 tsp. of the remaining butter. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring and scraping constantly with a whisk or a rubber spatula, until the eggs begin to thicken to a custard-like consistency, about 5 minutes.

Put the brioches in the oven to warm. Stir the salmon and the asparagus into the eggs, reserving the 4 asparagus tips. Continue to cook the eggs, stirring constantly, until they are thick but still soft and creamy, about 3 minutes more. Remove the brioches from the oven and place each one on a warm serving plate. Divide up the egg mixture among the brioches, filling up each one. Garnish the top of the eggs with the asparagus tips and place the lids at a slight angle on top of each brioche. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings