The Spotted Duck – Geneva, NY - Wright Writes Food

Yes, we took an hour drive just to try hand-made frozen custard. No, we don’t regret it. This was the sole reason we left the house on a warm Sunday in August at 10:30 in the morning and was the reason we discovered Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ the same day. Chelsea is lactose intolerant, so standard ice cream is generally a no-go for her unless we are close to home. This was an hour away, but we knew we had to try it.

A short 8 minute drive from Smokin’ Pete’s, The Spotted Duck is a farm-to-spoon establishment that makes their own frozen custard using duck eggs from their own farm as well as local ingredients as much as possible. Their flavors are seasonal and based off of local herbs, fruit and other ingredients instead of manufactured syrups and flavorings. Chelsea has been eyeing them on Facebook for months now so we set out on an adventure for some duck egg frozen custard.

The prices may seem a bit high, but I can promise you it’s worth every spoonful. We went with the Seneca Flight, choosing all of the flavors except for Apricot. The Apricot DF (dairy free) in our picture is actually the Fudgie Wudgie. So let’s start from there. Fudgie Wudgie is a coconut milk, soy milk and dark chocolate dairy free frozen custard that held deep chocolate flavor but had a slightly different consistency due to the coconut and soy milks used. It was mildly tackier than standard frozen custard but the dark chocolate didn’t overpower the sweetness or make it bitter. It wasn’t something Chelsea and I would be able to eat a pint of, but delicious nonetheless. Next is Peach Cobbler. A standard frozen custard with fresh peaches and bits of cobbler topping folded throughout. The custard was a vanilla flavor that melded perfectly with the sweet tartness of the peach and the cobbler topping retained it’s light crunch. Chelsea isn’t really a fan of peaches but even she loved this one. Next in line is Fleur Bleu, a blueberry and lavender custard. The specks throughout are from actual blueberries and the lavender flavor wasn’t overpowering but instead complemented the blueberry with a light floral tone. This was the big surprise for us, as we were both intrigued but mildly hesitant since neither of us particularly care for lavender flavors. Vanilla Creme was next. Described as house-made Madagascar bourbon vanilla, you could taste the difference of real vanilla bean instead of a syrup. The bourbon brought a nice richness forward that elevated the Madagascar vanilla in subtle ways that played wonderfully off each other.

On the bottom left is Wicked Chocolate, a dark chocolate custard that had a small touch of the bitterness associated with dark chocolate but all of the richness in the most spectacular ways. Crramy, smooth and delectable, we both loved it despite Chelsea not being a chocolate fan like I am. Up next was Chelsea’s absolute favorite, Cherry Cheesecake. A cheesecake flavored custard with fresh tart cherry jam and graham cracker crumbs, this was literally cherry cheesecake in custard form. The graham cracker crumb was light but added a nice texture to go with the tartness of the cherries and the cheesecake custard balanced out the tart with a wonderful richness. Salted Caramel is next and was my standout favorite, but I’m a sucker for salted caramel anything. A caramel custard with fresh Seneca salt, this was pure bliss in ice cream form. Soft caramel flavor with bits of fresh salt, I was in heaven with each spoonful. Last, but certainly not least, is Real Cookies & Cream. House-made vanilla syrup and chunks of chocolate chip cookies, the softness of the vanilla compared to the Vanilla Creme was evident and the cookie bits had a wonderful crunch to them.

In order of our favorites:

Me: Salted Caramel, Wicked Chocolate, Vanilla Creme, Real Cookies & Cream, Peach Cobbler, Cherry Cheesecake, Fleur Bleu and Fudgie Wudgie (purely because the texture wasn’t my cup of tea).

Chelsea: Cherry Cheesecake, Peach Cobbler, Real Cookies & Cream, Fleur Bleu, Vanilla Creme, Salted Caramel, Fudgie Wudgie and Wicked Chocolate.

This was an adventure well worth taking. You can see the variety of ducks and their roost out back, as well as a very sociable peacock amongst them while you eat your custard at the many shaded tables throughout the yard. Posted on the side of the building where you pickup and return your order is an explanation of The Spotted Duck’s mission to highlight local flavor as well as why they use duck eggs compared to chicken. I foresee this being a regular staple for us in the future, as I love me some ice cream and frozen custard and it didn’t wreak havoc on Chelsea’s stomach. The Spotted Duck is an absolute gem of the Finger Lakes region and I could not recommend them enough. Do yourself a favor and take the drive down and give them a try.

P.S. You can feed the ducks if you ask for duck sprinkles at the counter. We did not know this. Now we HAVE to go back!