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Show AggieLife Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 Page 5 A Christmas gift that stuns and satisfies It's hard to believe, but the end of the semester is practically here, which means Christmas is here. This is exciting but can also be stressful for college students. For one thing, we can't even start thinking about Christmas until we get these finals out of the way, right? And then there's the whole college student budget thing, which can put a damper on Christmas shopping sprees. When I was thinking about this situation, two words came into my head: food gifts. Everyone loves homemade treats, and they're definitely more budget friendly than traditional store-bought gifts. And you don't even have to face the cold and the crowds at the mall. You can turn on your favorite Christmas CD and your oven and make something delicious to tell someone you love them — handmade, creative and heartfelt. Done. One unique treat that's easy to make, but seems hard and impressive, is tassies. Tassies are miniature pie cookies. They look exactly like little pecan — or whatever flavor you choose — pies, but they are so much easier to make. This recipe is for pecan, but you can make chocolate tassies, pumpkin tassies, raspberry tassies and probably any other kind of tassies you can dream up. They are lovely and delicious — a perfect Christmas gift. For the Crust: 1/2 cup pecans 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese at room temperature 1/4 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup flour dash of salt For the Filling: 1 egg 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup pecans To make the crust: Spread the pecans out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 400 F for about 10 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and smell toasted. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese and butter until well incorporated, about five minutes. This will be pretty difficult if your butter and cream cheese aren't soft. If you don't have time to bring them to room temperature on their own, you can speed up the process by softening them in the microwave. Just be careful not to melt them. Once the pecans are completely cool, put them in a food processor or blender and pulse until well ground. Keep an eye on them as you're pulsing; you want them to turn into a crumbly powder. If you over-grind them or grind them when they're still warm they can turn into pecan butter. Add the ground pecans, flour and salt to the cream cheese butter mixture and beat until combined. Scoop the dough into 18 tablespoon-sized balls and place them in the cups of a mini-muffin pan. Use your fingers to gently press the dough into the bottom of each cup and up the sides to form a little crust. Set aside while you make the filling. To make the filling: Toast the pecans using the same method used for the crust — you can toast all the pecans at once and measure them for the crust and filling after they've cooled. Once the pecans are cool, coarsely chop them and set them aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, butter and salt. Stir in the pecans. Scoop about one teaspoon of filling into each of the formed crusts. Bake the tassies at 350 F for 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crusts are golden brown. Let cool in the pan for about five minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Wrap up a few tassies with a lovely ribbon and have fun giving them away to friends and family. Happy holidays! - Jennelle Clark is a senior psychology major who writes the online food blog foodislikeart.blogspot.com. She loves making, eating and sharing her food. Send comments to jenn. wilson@aggiemaiLusu.edu . PECAN TASSIES LOOK GOURMET, but are an easy treat to make. These mini pies can be stuffed with many ingredients other than pecans. JENNELLE CLARK photo Ivory keys lead young pianists to Las Vegas BY WES KING staff writer Gary Armano didn't just teach his students how to play the keys, he must've taught them how to win. Three of Armano's students won first place in their division in October at the Piano Performance Competition in Sandy. The winners include piano performance major Brandon Lee, Davis High School senior Weiyi Le and Bear River Charter School eighth grader Trenton Chang. Brandon Lee Lee was named winner of the Young Artist division competing against other students from Weber State, University of Utah, Brigham Young University and Southern Utah University. "I felt my preparation level was extremely high, and I felt very pleased with how my performances came across," Lee said. He said he performed a 50-minute solo program consisting of works by Schubert, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Barber and Ravel. The winning advanced him to a regional level competition being held in Las Vegas. "Should I be selected as the winner, I would move on to the national competition finals held in New York City in March," he said. "Very prominent musicians have been competitors, adjudicators, lecturers and presenters at the national conferences." Lee said his preparation for these cornpetitions and his passion for the instrument helped him come out on top. "I've played the piano for over 20 years now," Lee said. "I have at times put in more hours of practice in a day than sleep. It was never difficult for me to find motivation to practice. It was always a passion and joy for me at the piano." Lee said he dreams of a future as a pianist. "I would love to perform as a soloist in concert halls, in concerto and ensemble settings, but can also envision myself teaching in a university setting, as well as privately," he said. "I am also well trained and proficient as an accompanist — a skill that can be used to ) provide a steady income! Lee said the most important thing about playing the piano for him is sharing it with others. "The true fruits of my labor are not just in awards I receive or the competitions I win, but in my ability to share my love of music making with others," Lee said. Weiyi Le Le said he was a student of the USU Youth Conservatory piano program. He won in the senior division. "It felt great (to win). I was very grateful to my teacher, parents and the judges and organizers of the competition," Le said. He said he performed works by Liszt, Ravel, Haydn and Chopin. "I enjoy composers from the Romantic Period, including Chopin and Liszt," Le said. Like the other competition winners, Le said he had an arduous daily practice schedule. "When school is not in session, I try to practice three to four hours a day; otherwise, I try to squeeze as much practice time into my busy schedule as possible," he said. "I feel very lucky to have had such great a piano professor to help me cultivate my potential. "I have many paths and opportunities before me, of which to take I am still unsure. However, music will always be a great possibility." TRENTON CHANG PLACED first in the junior division at the Piano Performance Competition in Sandy. Chang will advance with two others to regionals held in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy ofTrenton Chang For Your Princess See ADVANCING, Page 6 • S.E. Needham Quality at Internet Pricing S. E. Needham jewelers since 1896 Where Utah Gets Engaged! BRANDON LEE PERFORMED a 50-minute solo at the Piano Performance Competition where he took first in the Young Artist division. KATRINA ANNE PERKINS photo 141 North Main • www.seneedham.com • 435-752-7149 A |