Prepare the same quantity of coffee as in [No. 1349]. Have six goblets half filled with clean ice, pour in the coffee, evenly divided; add a pony of good cognac to each glass, mix thoroughly with a teaspoon, and serve.
The above is a delicious and healthful after-dinner summer drink, and is enjoyed in nearly all the large cities of Europe, especially by military men, who prefer it to the usual after-dinner demi-tasse, or “gloria,” as they call it in Paris.
The name is derived from the village of Mazagran, Province d’Oran, Algeria, famous for a long and heroic siege in 1840, wherein one hundred and twenty-three French soldiers were victorious against twelve thousand Arabs.
1392. Mazagran à la Général Dufour.
—The same as above, only substituting a pony of Swiss kirsch instead of cognac.
1393. Smelts à la Van Volkenburgh.
—Wash well, and thoroughly dry, eighteen fine, fresh Long Island smelts. Split them right along the backbone in the centre; remove the backbone of each. Season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper; sprinkle them with half an ounce of flour, then place them in a pan with one ounce of good butter on the hot range, and fry for two minutes on each side, or until they obtain a good light brown color. Dress them on a hot dish; place in a pan one ounce of good butter, fry it until it becomes of a good nut-brown color; add to it a tablespoonful of vinegar, then pour over the smelts; decorate the dish all around with parsley-greens, and serve.
1394. Tomatoes with Rice à la Watson.
—Wash in cold water six fine, red, sound, equal-sized tomatoes, wipe them dry, then cut off the top of each tomato (keeping them on a plate until needed); remove the seeds of the tomatoes with a vegetable-scoop. Season the inside of each with half a pinch of pepper and half a pinch of salt.
Place them in a well-buttered pan. Place two ounces of well-picked rice in a cup or in a dish, add to it one teaspoonful of melted butter, half a medium-sized, sound, peeled, and finely chopped shallot; season with half a pinch of salt only, mix all well together, then put into each tomato one teaspoonful of rice; place the tops on as a cover, sprinkle a little clarified butter over, and then cover them with a well-buttered paper. Bake them in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.