1 tablespoon butter melted with 1 tablespoon light oil

1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, stalks trimmed and peeled

Salt and pepper to taste

2 egg yolks

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

4 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Cut a slice from the top of each roll. (This slice will later become a lid.) Scoop out the bread from the center of the rolls. Brush the rolls inside and out with the butter and oil mixture as well as the ``lids.'' Place the rolls and the lids on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil a pan of water, add a teaspoon of salt, and cook the asparagus for 2 minutes or until crisply tender. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain. Reserve the cooking liquid and keep it simmering while you make the sauce.

In a double boiler or a small bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice. As they thicken (about 2 to 3 minutes), add 4 tablespoons of cream and season to taste with salt and a little pepper. Continue whisking as the sauce thickens. Add the extra spoonful of cream if you want a thinner consistency. Remove the sauce from the pan of water but keep it warm.

To assemble the dish, cut 2- to 3-inch tips from the top of the asparagus and reserve. Cut the rest of the stem into 1/2-inch pieces and toss these into the simmering asparagus water for a few seconds to reheat. Remove them with a slotted spoon and stir them into the lemon sauce. Spoon this mixture into the rolls, cover with the lids, and keep warm in the oven for a couple of minutes. Now put the asparagus tips in the simmering water to reheat them. Leave them for 1 minute at most. Remove them with a slotted spoon, drain, then arrange them in the rolls with the tips protruding from one side. Position the lids at an angle. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.