Tea Party Preparations...

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwich Recipe

Recipe Type: Sandwich, Afternoon Tea & High Tea, Poultry
Yields: 8 whole sandwiches
Prep time: 10 min

Ingredients:

1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 32 slices)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
16 slices best-quality white bread*
Salt to taste
* Choose the best-quality white or wheat bread as possible. Never serve end slices. Freezing the bread before cutting and then spreading makes for easier handling.

Preparation:
Place cucumber slices between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
In a small bowl, combine mint, butter, and cream cheese; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay cucumber slices onto the buttered side of 8 slices of bread. Sprinkle with salt. Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a long, sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again. Decorative shapes can be made with cookie cutters.
Yields 8 whole sandwiches or 16 halves or 32 fourths.

 

Making Sandwiches Ahead of Time:  If you need to make tea sandwiches in advance and need to keep them from drying out, cover them loosely with a sheet of wax paper and then place a damp kitchen towel over the wax paper (never place a damp towel directly on top of the bread because the sandwiches will become soggy). Refrigerate. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. Uncover sandwiches just before serving.

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