You can now nominate for the 2009 SA Blog Awards

Bloggers here in South Africa are catching up with our fellow bloggers in other countries and once again it is that time of the year where SA bloggers(or SA bloggers in other countries, like our own Cooksister) can be rewarded for their hard work and dedication.. To nominate me or any other SA blogger, first read the rules here and then go here to nominate. You must vote for at least 3 websites or blogs and you can also vote for 1 blog in more than 1 category. If you are not familiar with other SA bloggers, you can find a list of food and wine blogs on Jeanne's site.
For other SA blogs and websites go to Amatomu.

Speaking of awards......I want to tell you about a cheesery/winery or let's just say a company that you will just have to put on your list of "Places to visit!" The Cheese and Winemakers that I am referring to is none other than Fairview. They have claimed many awards locally and internationally and can now proudly say that they have beaten the French at cheese-making.
As you know, cheese is not exactly a good food choice when "going red", but what to do when the craving hits you or you have to invent a starter for vegetarians. Luckily for me, Fairview has produced a Camembert with 40% Less fat which is also suitable for vegetarians, because it is made with non-animal rennet.

I wanted to serve something really delicious with the cheese parcels so I made some Sweet Onion Chutney. I used a sugar replacement and very little fat, so even the chutney was not too sinful.

Camembert parcels with Sweet onion Chutney - serves 2

1x 125g Fairview Camembert(40 % less fat)
2 sheets of phyllo pastry
non-stick Spray

Preheat oven to 170C
Simply cut the cheese in have and make a little bundle using the phyllo pastry- I folded my phyllo in halve just to make it a bit thicker. Tie the bundle with string or raffia, spray with the non-stick spray and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes.
(If you want to use butter to brush over the phyllo, please do so, but I find that the non-stick spray works just as well and it cuts down on the calories.......)

Sweet Onion Chutney

1 big white onion, cut in halve and sliced thinly
2 tbsp water
2 tsp xylitol - sugar replacement
2 tbsp red wine or port
15ml oil.
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Put the water and the onion in a saucepan and cook the onion until soft. Add the oil and let it caramelize slightly. Add the wine, vinegar and xylitol and reduce the heat. Let the onion slowly reduce down to a lovely, sweet and soft chutney. Serve with the cheese parcels as it comes out of the oven. I know the phyllo acts as the starch in this recipe, but my family still wanted chunks of bread for the soft gooey cheese.