Cucumber-Mint Sandwiches
(Makes 12 pieces; 24, halved)

Mint adds a delightful twist to a classic cucumber tea-sandwich.

1/4 C fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)
2 T butter (softened)
2 T cream cheese (softened)
12 slices firm white bread
1/3 of a seedless English cucumber (thinly sliced)

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl, blending well. Spread the mixture evenly on all 12 slices of bread.  Place cucumber slices on 6 slices and cover with the other 6 slices.  Carefully, trim the crusts (save for making breadcrumbs).  Then slice the sandwiches diagonally for 12 pieces; slice again for 24 smaller triangles.

Tips & Glossary: New England

Clotted Cream: a thick yellowish cream made from unpasturized cow's milk. You can make your own, although it's hard to find unpasturized cream in the U.S. Still, you'll find 3 recipes under our Devonshire Scones. All use pasturized cream; try to avoid "ultra" pasturized.

Ginger:  dried ground ginger is far more potent than freshly grated from the root.   Sweet dessert recipes call for ground powder.  If you wish to use freshly grated ginger, use 6 times the amount of ground called for in the recipe. 

Ploughman's Lunch: sounds romantic, like a peasant dish from medieval times, but it's a marketing gimmick from the 1970's! It's a popular lunch in Britain now: a piece of bread, hunk of cheese, with onion, gherkin, and an apple. Our Ploughman's Soup is a take-off on that name.

Roux: (“roo”), paste-like mixture of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. Used as a thickening agent for soups and all classic French sauces. Basic Roux: melt 1 part butter and add 1 part flour. Stir continuously till it becomes paste-like. Slowly add whatever liquid your recipe calls for.