Bacon mac and cheese horns

For the horns:

Ingredients 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter 1/2 cup cold tap water 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions Cut 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter into 1/2 to 1/4-inch dice, place on a plate and refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.Measure water and add salt; stir to dissolve and set aside.

Coarsely dice remaining 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter. Place flour in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade; add 4 tablespoons butter and grated cheddar cheese and pulse until butter is absorbed -- about ten to twelve 1-second pulses.

Add remaining butter and pulse once or twice to distribute. Add water and pulse 3 or 4 times, just until dough forms a rough ball. Do not over-process.

Flour work surface and scrape dough from work bowl. Shape dough into a rough rectangle and place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Press dough with rolling pin to flatten, then roll back and forth several times with rolling pin to make a 12 by 18 inch rectangle of dough.

Peel away plastic wrap and invert dough to floured work surface. Peel away second piece of wrap. Fold dough in thirds in the width, folding the top third down and the bottom third up, to make a 6 by 18-inch rectangle, then roll up the dough from one of the 6-inch ends, making sure to roll end under dough. Press the dough into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm

Make large horn moulds - To make your own horn moulds, use paper plates covered with double thickness non-stick foil.

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Roll out the pastry and cut into 1cm (1/2in) strips down the longest side. Lightly oil your hand and coat the horn moulds with oil.

Starting at the pointed end, wrap a pastry strip around the mould in a spiral, with each line overlapping slightly. Repeat to cover all the moulds. Brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Place the horns on their sides on a non-stick baking tray and put into the oven for 10–12 minutes, or until the horns are golden-brown and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, carefully remove the moulds (using a clean tea towel to help you).

For the mac and cheese:

Ingredients 3 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 ounces seashell pasta 1 cup whole milk 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

Directions Pour water and salt into a medium pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the water has cooked down a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, and continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Add the Cheddar, Parmesan, pepper, and mustard; stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is thick and creamy. The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce as the pasta cooks.

Assembly:

Fill the horn with mac and cheese.

Garnish with crisp bacon bits

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