• 1. Season the rice flour with salt and pepper. Dredge sardine fillets. Shake off excess flour.
• Heat the oil in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add sardines, skin side down, and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook another 2 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels.
• Line up the fillets over a dollop of aioli on four plates. Top with a big spoonful of tapenade and garnish with crispy serrano chips (recipes follow). Enjoy with three good friends and a bottle of fruity rose.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap 6 whole peeled cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of saltin tin foil. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Crack one whole pasteurized egg into the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1 cup extra virgin olive oil. Add the roasted garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. (Or simply mix roasted garlic, lemon juice and pepper into prepared mayonnaise.)

Give your best knife a workout mincing 4 ounces pitted picholine olives, 1/2 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon capers, 2 anchovy fillets, 1/2 shallot and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Stop casting sidelong stares at the food processor. It doesn't have the deft touch you require. Mix in 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Season with pepper. Blend until smooth. (Or simply mix roasted garlic, lemon juice and pepper into prepared mayonnaise.)

Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Make a simple syrup by bringing to a boil 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy saucepan. Cover and simmer gently for two minutes. Cool. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out 8 paper-thin slices of serrano ham. Brush each with simply syrup. Cover with a second piece of parchment paper and another baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 50 minutes. To achieve Avec's casual, if awkward, presentation, top each plate of sardines with a whole chip. For a more manageable version, break into shards and scatter.