Local Cheeses Come To Maplewood and Crane's Deli

A few days ago, I had the great opportunity to visit my favorite deli/cheese shop in Maplewood, Crane's Delicatessen and Cheese Shoppe. Store owner and Maplewood resident Steve Crane has been buying cheese from Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, NJ for a while now. It is a one-of-a-kind creamery that employs cheesemaking techniques practiced in Europe for the last 4,000 years.

Cranes stocks a variety of cheeses from the creamery, and I got to sample them all with some Pellegrino to cleanse my palate in between each tasting.

I started off with Valley Thunder. It is similar to the cheddars of the world but tastes nutty with a sharp note at the very end. According to Crane, it more closely resembles provolone. This cheese is aged for ten months and is made from raw mixed milks.

I had a sip of Pelligrino with a few grapes and a dried apricot before tasting Nettlesome. This cheese is made with stinging nettles and made of raw sheep milk and aged for three months. It has grassy undertones and I could see myself having a wedge with a glass of full-bodied red wine.

Carameaway (I love the names) came next. It had caraway seeds running through the cheese. It is made with raw mixed milks and aged for three months. It simply tastes like a mild rye bread. Crane suggested spicy walnuts and pears to serve with this savory cheese.

The fourth cheese was called Pepeto (sounds Spanish) and is made with sheep's milk mixed with a bit of Jersey cow milk. It has a creamy goat cheese consistency with a nice bite from cracked white pepper—so far, my favorite. Pepeto is aged for about three to five months.

The last, but not the least, was Shepards Basket—another one I really enjoyed. It is a raw sheep's milk cheese aged for four to eight months. It is made in the Manchego style of making cheeses, one of my favorite ones. Slices of this cheese would be delicious with some raw honey.

The price point for all of these cheeses is $23.99 per pound. The good thing about purchasing your favorite cheese from Crane's is the turnover. Fresh cheese is brought in every two weeks—Talk about fresh!

Not many towns in New Jersey have a European-style cheese shop for resident shoppers to take advantage of. As I sat tasting the variety of cheeses, it reminded me of my trip to Italy last summer where I had multiple platters of cheese paired with honey.

As the smell of all the delicious foods distracted me from my thoughts, I couldn't help pondering my favorite things to eat at this establishment: I love the brie and arugula sandwich and the carrot ginger soup. I love coming in here and chatting with all the friendly staff Steve Crane has worked hard to find. Places with great food and friendly people simply make me happy.

What's your favorite thing to eat at Crane's?

Monica Puri Bangia is a cooking coach who teaches in her Maplewood home and the Maplewood/South Orange Adult School. She writes about food and ingredients including recipes for The Local as well as her own Sharing Plate blog where she posts mostly healthy, quick recipes for weeknight dinners. Puri Bangia also contributes kid friendly and healthy recipes to Kiwi magazine. For Patch, she will be reviewing local eating places and replicating dishes that she enjoys and including recipes that form in her head from time to time that may be relevant to you.