Recipe: Cucumber-Orange-Mint Finger Sandwiches

Cucumber-Orange-Mint Finger Sandwiches
rec.food.cooking/bmadre (1998)
Makes 16 or 32 depending on how you cut them

Orange Mint Butter:
1/4 lb (1 stick) sweet butter
1/4 - 1/2 tsp fresh mint, minced (depends on your taste)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (you can also put a little bit of the juice from the orange if you want, but the idea is to keep this really subtle)
1 teaspoon sour cream (optional)

Soften the butter slightly, and using either a hand mixer or a food processor (I use my little "Oskar" mini-processor), smunch all the ingredients until smooth.

Cucumber:
About 16 slices of bread (use day-old Pepperidge Farm thin white bread, it holds up better)
Slice cucumbers thinly (1/8-inch if you can manage it)

Put the cucumbers in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with a little vinegar and salt. Allow to stand for 30-40 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels. (This keeps the cucumbers from making the sandwiches soggy).

Spread half the slices of bread with the butter mixture. Use 5 or 6 slices of cucumber on each slice of buttered bread. (Overlap them just slightly). Top with the un- buttered slices of bread, and cut off the crusts.

Make a diagonal cut across each sandwich. This makes 16 sandwiches. Each of these can be cut in two smaller triangles for 32 tiny sandwiches.