Mme. Ricard's Titillating French Anchoïade

Ingredients

• 12 canned anchovy fillets
• 12 salted anchovies
• 12 fresh almonds, peeled
• 3 dried figs, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small mild red pepper, seeded
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 ounces fines herbes
• 1 stalk fennel
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 2 teaspoons orange flower water
• 1 dozen small bridge roll
• black olives, for the couronne (crown)

Directions

1. 1

   Chop the herbs, garlic, onion, and fennel very finely.

2. 2

   Combine with the chopped figs.

3. 3

   Pound together the red pepper, almonds, tinned and salted anchovies with 3 tablespoons olive oil, until it makes a thick puree.

4. 4

   Combine the first mixture with the second mixture, adding the lemon juice and orange water bit by bit.

5. 5

   Cut the rolls in half - and use the remaining olive oil to moisten the bottom halves.

6. 6

   Put the halves together and place them in a pre-heated hot oven for 5 minutes.

7. 7

   When you serve the Anchoïade, you are expected to to surround it with a profusion of fine black olives -- "en couronne d'un velours sombre et chatoyant" -- in a crown of titillating dark velvet!