Carl's Custard

Carl's custard in Fredericksburg, VA is a couple of miles off of I-95 on Princess Anne St. Custard is out of this world! Equipment from the 1920's enables a higher butterfat content. A good detour

Sunday morning did a piece today about Carl's opening for the season. All thos e people chowing down on custard!!

Rainbow Cone in Chicago's Beverly Neighborhood!

All different flavors of ice cream - resembling the colors of the rainbow. Nothing like it anywhere, usually a long line. The best!!!

This is something that I have wondered about. When I was a kid, our family trips meant a succession of stops at "custard" stands, most of which turned out to actually be soft serve ice cream (like Dairy Queen). We had to come back home to Wisconsin to actually get real frozen custard. As little as 10 years ago, I invited an out-of-state friend for frozen custard and she refused, thinking it was some kind of baked custard, frozen. Now real frozen custard seems to be easier to find around the midwest (not to mention here at home, where we have dozens of custard stands that operate year round).

So here is the question. Is real frozen custard, made with eggs and a high butterfat content, available nationwide in just a few isolated stands or is it as common everywhere else as it is in Wisconsin? And is it a recent addition to the food scene?

By the way, if you are a frozen custard fan, try looking at
http://www.custardlist.com
Carl's is listed there, but they need a flavor submission for this month!

Interesting geographic distribution of stands if you look at the map at CustardList... http://www.custardlist.com/stands/statelist

It would seem that the Northwest is completely barren of custard, and I'm only familiar with one place that has appropriate equipment for frozen custard, come to think of it. Custard King in Astoria, OR. I can't say whether or not I remember their mix as being egg-enriched though.

Eric, Wondering How Bad The Traffic Would Be On The Usual 3-Hour Drive to Astoria.....

Julia I

No way is frozen custard a new item. I remember the frozen custard stand at the beach when I was a child in the early 50's and it had been a standard on the boardwalk for a long time before the. As a matter of fact that same stand is still in business today.

I also wonder if a lot of stands that call them selves "Custard" really are.

The best custard stands have to be in Wisconsin. Every time I am in Milwaukee, I always go to Kopps for their butter burgers and custard. I always get vanilla.

We have nothing like it in Tennessee.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

That's what I mean. I've been to stands that say they sell custard, but they really sell soft serve ice cream. The taste and texture difference is unmistakeable. You couldn't do that in Wisconsin, we know better.

By the way, Paul, the next time that you are in the Midwest, give one of the Culver's stands a try. Culver's is a rapidly growing chain that has become very popular. It has good custard (although the vanilla isn't as good as Kopp's, IMHO) and great sandwiches. It started in Wisconsin but has spread throughout the Midwest and into Texas. None in Tennessee yet, but it might not be long!

If the sign doesn't say frozen custard it is not frozen custard. There is no such thing as "like a custard". Either it is or it isn't. Federal law [21 CFR 135.110(a)(2)] states that frozen custard must contain 1.4% egg yolk which adds to production costs but creates a richer, tastier product. I, too, would like to see Carl's begin serving frozen custard, for Carl's is a great place to visit. Perhaps as other frozen custard stores move into Fredericksburg, Carl's will also begin selling frozen custard.

Live in Philly now, but grew up eating real custard at Hibbard's in Lewiston, NY. Small place, next door to Hibbard's Liquors and Hibbard's Dry Cleaners (one family taking care of many needs), and may have to find an excuse to go to VA to try Carl's Custard. I miss real custard

I worked at Carl's Ice Cream for 5 years in the late 80's and early nineties as a cashier. The place was always packed - I never got a break!

Since I didn't make the ice cream I can't tell you the exact recipes, but they ground up real strawberries, used Hershey's chocolate, and used real vanilla (washed with grain alcohol if I remember correctly) for the flavoring. Great stuff! They only have those three flavors...which was always funny because people would come up to the window asking for Rocky Road or Chocolate Mint and I'd have to point them to the menu...:-)

Simplicity is the theme. Three flavors of ice cream, the same flavors for the shakes (along with pineapple) and only a few sundae toppings as well (Hershey's syrup, hot fudge, pineapple, maplenut *yummy*, and real strawberry). However, they use the BEST hot fudge I've ever had in my life, Mellowcream Hot Fudge:

http://profileshowcase.foodprofile.com/internetshowcase/GW/DFP000238/gateway.asp?MFR_NUM=000143&MFR_PRD_NUM=2700022000&GATEWAYID=DFP000238

I'd go out and buy this stuff for my own use. Once you have it on a hot fudge sundae you will NEVER want a different hot fudge. In fact, I recommend when you're there to ask for a "hot fudge shake" for a real treat. Or even better, a "hot fudge malt". Man, those were good. (These are not on the menu).

They used to have 4 slushie flavors, but now just root beer and cherry. I root beer slush float is a good choice here as well.

Here's a list of my favorite treats there:

1. Hot Fudge Malt
2. Giant Pineapple Maplenut Sundae
3. Giant Strawberry Nut Sundae Made with strawberry ice cream
4. Giant Hot Fudge Nut Sunday with Double-Fudge
5. Large Cone "Around" (meaning a large cone with all three flavors on it.

Also, I can't leave here without mentioning the Carl's "twist" that they put on the last scoop the goes on the cone. It gives each cone a little artistic flair that you won't find at other frozen custard stands.

Keep on eating!
Steve

quote:

Originally posted by VibrationGuy

Interesting geographic distribution of stands if you look at the map at CustardList... http://www.custardlist.com/stands/statelist

It would seem that the Northwest is completely barren of custard, and I'm only familiar with one place that has appropriate equipment for frozen custard, come to think of it. Custard King in Astoria, OR. I can't say whether or not I remember their mix as being egg-enriched though.

Eric, Wondering How Bad The Traffic Would Be On The Usual 3-Hour Drive to Astoria.....

YA DUDE, WE USE THE EGG-ENRICHED mix, i think we are the only place around here that carries custard, as well we got our hands on 2 frozen hard custards as well, THIS IS THE CUSTARD KING's SUN ;) hahaha so chill guys, o and traffic is fine... atleast on all my trips. PEACE

I've posted about Carl's in other forums so here's a condensced report:

Hugely popular
Big crowds in the evening
Lines move very fast
Wonderful custard
Limited choices (which is fine)
A fun place to go
Watching the antique equipment spill out custard is worth a trip
Last visit: Tried a maple sundae which is maple syrup and pecans over vanilla custard. Magnificient!

Frozen custard is one of those other midwest things that I really miss. The custard list website is very helpful and I will use it on future trips. I'd love it if east TN got a Culver's. You'd think with Smoky Mountains getting 10 million visitors a year that there'd be enough tourist traffic to support one here.

carl reitz

Carl's is one of the premier old time custard stands.The ice cream is made fresh every day with some of the best ingredients.If you like malts ,you will love Carl's malts.My favorite is the chocolate malt made with hot fudge.You won't find it on the menu but just ask for it and they will serve it up.The sundays are excellent and another of my favorites is the hot fudge maplenut sunday made with chocolate.What are maplenuts? Some people call them "wet nuts" but it is an old family recipe nut mixture that can't be revealed.I know this because I used to work there 30 years ago but the recipe hasn't changed.
This week ,Carl passed away.A sad day for me and for the town of Fredericksburg and all the people who knew him.
His ice cream and legacy will live on........

Custard is moving south.

For instance, while I think Culver's custard is ok at best.
(When in Milwaukee give Leon's and Max's a try.)

It is braching out to Chicago and now there is one in Indy.

Ritter's of Franklin has open a shop up in Indy.

St Louis already has Ted Dewes(sp?).

Cincinnati will resist custard due to Graeter's but eventually the custard will move to Kentucky.

When you say frozen custard to people in the south they think of an eggy pudding with spices.

The name frozen custard is a turn off in east tennessee, and any stand opened would have to overcome this perception.

But good frozen custard can't be beat imho.

Sorry for the rambling back to work(ice cream is a passion of mine)