One of life’s culinary delights – cheese – is a main event at Long’s Deli, adjacent to our meat market. Specialty cheeses – and especially local Oregon creamery cheeses – are a popular item here. Our local cheese expert and advisor, Keith Ellis, makes sure that our cheese section represents an excellent cross section of interesting NW cheeses, as well as North American and European varieties while keeping the pricing competitive compared to local markets.
You will find some of your favorite types of cheese here, including Aged and fresh Cheddars, Blue Cheeses, Oregon Blue cheeses, French and Italian blues (such as the wine soaked Rossini, local and Imported Bries, Gruyeres, Swiss, Feta , Chevres and more.
We have a good sampling of Oregon Creameries and Cheesemakers including Rogue Creamery, Juniper Grove, River’s Edge Farm, Fraga Farms, Tumalo Farms, Willamette Valley Cheese Co, and a new creamery in Eugene, Cheese Louise Creamery.
In this blog we are featuring the products of Cheese Louise Creamery. Stay tuned for features on other specialty cheeses in the coming weeks and months. Have you ever tried Whole Milk Ricotta – Tuscan style? How about a lightly salted and dried Rusticella, also known as “Ricotta Salata”? Or Mascarpone, an Italian style cream cheese ? These are specialty cheeses from Cheese Louise Creamery that are made locally with fresh whole milk from local herds without antibiotics or hormones.
When you come in to sample our cheeses, you will also see our wine display. One question that comes up is “What are the best combinations of cheese and wine (or beer)?”. According to Keith Ellis, “it is really a matter of personal preference. However, as a rule of thumb, bolder wines such as cabs go well with stronger cheeses such as the blue cheese varieties. Whites are usually fine with most cheeses, and even artisan beers will go well with many cheeses due to the carbonation and releasing of flavors in the mouth.”
Keith Ellis is the owner of the new Cheese Louise Creamery here in Eugene, and is co-owner along with Kathy Campbell of Cooks, Pots, & Tabletops right across the street from us. Keith is the Culinary Director of the Cooking School, and is in charge of operations of the school, as well as Chef Instructor -in-Residence. He is also a Culinary Consultant and College Instructor, at the Culinary & Hospitality Department of Lane Community College, teaching a wide range of cuisines, specializing in Northwest Cuisine, Specialty Cheese Education classes, as well as teaching a range of technical cooking skills.
Submitted by David Brown
Long’s Meat Market
webmaster and blogger
