Ellington

Custard has never been cooler — literally. Peaks Frozen Custard is the first frozen-custard shop I have ever encountered, and it’s got me wanting more. Peaks is a cozy cafe by Northeast 65th Street and 12th Avenue North that offers delectable iced treats as well as espresso, coffee, tea, and lunch foods, for those who prefer something served at above-freezing temperatures.

I expected that frozen custard would just be custard that had literally been frozen — I had no idea that it would be comparable in consistency to ice cream. Frozen custard is actually a type of ice cream, but also contains milk fat and egg yolk. It’s made through a process called “overrun,” which blends air with the ingredients until the mixture’s volume increases by 20 percent. A combination of a low overrun percent, milk fat and egg yolk all make frozen custard more dense and smooth than normal ice cream.

Back in 1902, an ice-cream lover named Arthur Abbott was fiddling around with his ice-cream recipe when he decided to add eggs to it. The results? A smoother, more rich ice cream. So Abbott peddled his frozen-custard ice-cream cart to carnivals all along the East Coast. Eventually, the dessert made its way to the Midwest, which is culturally one of the biggest frozen-custard areas in the world.

Since we’re not in the Midwest, you can get your freshly made frozen custard from Peaks, which is just a 10-minute bus ride from the UW. The café makes its custard every two hours and uses local ingredients of the highest quality, according to its website.

This place serves only three flavors a day: the traditional flavors like vanilla and chocolate, as well as the flavor of the day, which may be “Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp,” “Horchata with Abuelita Chocolate” or even “Salted Caramel Pecan.” Don’t be fooled by their three options, though, because at Peaks, it’s about the quality of the flavors rather than the quantity offered per day. Also, those who want to get fancy with their frozen custard can dress up their custard with toppings galore. Some toppings to choose from include handmade hot fudge, pineapple, marshmallow creme, brownie chunks and the usual candy-bar assortment. Customers can also have their custard in a cake, sugar or waffle cone, or in a waffle bowl or biodegradable bowl. A regular-sized serving costs $3.18, with toppings priced at 75 cents and $1 extra. If you think this is pricey, tell whoever’s ringing you up that you’re a UW student and they’ll give you 20-percent off any item. Trust me when I say that whatever flavor combination you choose, you can’t go wrong with Peaks’ frozen custard.

When I first heard of frozen custard, I was suspicious; I thought that frozen custard was just ice cream’s awkward, less-intelligent, younger brother — that it wouldn’t be able to measure up to ice cream’s traditional wonderfulness. But frozen custard has such a complex flavor. I settled on the traditional vanilla flavor with a caramel topping because I wanted to take my first frozen-custard experience slowly. It was delightfully rich and packed full of flavor despite my not-too-adventurous flavor choice. With each bite, I tasted the sweet, delicateness of the egg and vanilla coupled with the smooth caramel. Forget frozen custard being ice cream’s awkward younger brother — this frozen treat is the shining star within the ice-cream family.

Overall, Peaks is a great little establishment that I’ll definitely go to again when I want my cold fix. There are large tables to sit and do homework at, as well as a lounge-type area with board games, a couch and overstuffed chairs. The cafe also occasionally has live music and entertainment, which gives it an even more warm and friendly vibe. Although this place isn’t exactly close to campus, I definitely think it’s worth trying out — especially since UW students receive 20-percent off.

B+

Reach reporter Kat Chow at weekender@dailyuw.com.