Black Olive Tapenade

Steps

1. Drain the olives. If they still have pits, crush them one at a time with the flat of a knife and pull the pit out, weighing out 250 g of flesh. Pat them dry on paper towels: leftover brine makes tapenade watery. Rinse the capers under cold water for 30 seconds to wash off excess salt or vinegar, then drain and pat them dry. Drain the anchovy fillets.
2. Peel 1 garlic clove, halve it, and remove the green sprout if there is one. Strip the leaves from 2 thyme sprigs by running your fingers from the top of the stem to the bottom; keep the third sprig for finishing.
3. In a mortar, pound the garlic with the thyme leaves for 1 minute, until it forms a paste. Add the anchovies and mash for 1 more minute, until they melt into a smooth brown cream.
4. On a cutting board, chop the olives with a knife into 1/8 inch (3 to 4 mm) pieces, pulling the pile back to the center and running the blade through it several times: you want an uneven chop, not a paste. Chop the capers more coarsely, into two or three pieces each.
5. Add the olives and capers to the mortar and give them 20 to 30 turns of the pestle, just enough to bind them with the anchovy cream: you should still see pieces of olive and caper. Without a mortar, blend the garlic, thyme, and anchovies in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the oil set aside for the tapenade, add the olives and capers, and give 6 to 8 one-second pulses, scraping down the sides in between and never letting it run continuously.
6. Stir in 60 ml of the olive oil in a thin stream with a spoon, then the lemon juice and the pepper. Taste on a piece of bread: don't add salt, since the olives, capers, and anchovies bring plenty, and add a few more drops of lemon if the tapenade tastes too mellow.
7. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature: the garlic mellows, the oil picks up the olive flavor, and the tapenade loosens.
8. Meanwhile, cut the country bread into 8 slices 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick. Toast them under a broiler heated to 480°F (250°C) or in a very hot grill pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden with very crisp edges. Rub one side right away with the second garlic clove, cut in half, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
9. Spoon the tapenade into a bowl, smooth the top with the back of the spoon, drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil, and scatter the leaves from the last thyme sprig over it. Arrange the toasted bread around the bowl and serve.