Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches

Here is the quintessential tea party must!

I recently made these for a tea party and have craved them ever since. In fact I am making them for a football party this weekend...the ladies will like them. The men will get other things like cocktail smokies and sausage balls, and ribs too I think...don't feel sorry for them:-) I was asked to bring a platter of finger sandwiches.

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwich

I found the recipe here

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.

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.