Croque for Kids

With dinner needing to be cooked in a hurry on a cold Autumn night Croque Madames popped into my head.  All I could kind of remember was that they have egg, white sauce of some sort with cheese on top - maybe. With no time to look for a recipe I turned on the ovenette, whipped up some sauce, bunged some left over beans into the bread cases, popped them in the oven for 20 minutes and the kids devoured them.  The extra white sauce topped the fresh garden broccoli perfectly.

Croque for Kids
Makes 6, muffin sized

Cases
6 Slices of Bread
2T Butter, melted


White Sauce
1T Butter
1T Plain Flour
1 1/2C Warm Water & 2T Milk Powder (or 1 1/2C warmed milk)
Pinch of Salt, Pepper and Mustard Powder

Fillings

1/2 Tin Baked Beans (or what ever left overs you have - chicken, ham, bacon, mince)
2 Eggs, beaten slightly


Cheese (I used Edam)

Cut the crusts of the bread and roll out each slice and thin as you can.  Brush both sides of the bread with the first measure of melted butter.  Line muffin tins with bread cases, pushing them down gently into the bottom of the tin.
To make the white sauce melt the butter over a medium heat.  Add the flour and stir over the heat until the mixture looks pale and kind of sandy.  Continue stirring and slowly add in the warm milk mixture.  It's important the liquid isn't cold or the sauce will be lumpy.  Continue stirring and add in the the salt, pepper and mustard powder.  When it's nice and thick and starts to bubble it's done.
Fill a third of the bread case with beans (or left overs), then one third with egg and then a large tablespoon of white sauce.  Using a vegetable peeler shave a thin layer of cheese over each case.  Bake for 15-20 minutes till golden.
They will be super hot on the inside, so transfer to cool on a wire rack while you steam some vege or make a salad for the side.