Wolfies Frozen Custard, Northport

Wolfies Frozen Custard

42 Woodbine Ave., Northport 631-754-4850

wolfiescustard.comFrozen custard is softer than ice cream, not as dense as gelato. It's simultaneously creamy and refreshing. It's heaven on a hot day -- or warm night. And Wolfies is the only shop on Long Island that specializes in it.

Do not confuse frozen custard with soft serve. The former is ice cream enriched with egg, the latter has no legal definition: Any frozen mixture -- ice cream, frozen yogurt or nondairy "treat" -- dispensed through a soft-serve machine can be called soft serve.

It's the eggs that lend frozen custard its characteristic texture. "When you cook eggs and milk together," said Wolfies' co-owner Carol Leftwich, "it creates such a creamy texture -- it's creamier than cream, even though it contains less fat." To amplify the creaminess, frozen custard is served 10 degrees warmer than ice cream and, thus, is highly perishable. "I only make enough for a day or two," she said. "It has to be fresh."

Leftwich and her partner, Robert Latorre, opened Wolfies in 2001. They were transplants from Dallas who noted that, even though frozen custard was first scooped on the boardwalk in Coney Island, it had virtually disappeared from the New York area. (It wasn't until 2004 that the burger-and- frozen-custard-driven Shake Shack opened in Manhattan.)

Although Wolfies has a full roster of toppings, most customers prefer to eat their custard neat, the better to enjoy the pure flavors of the 20-odd daily offerings. Really, nothing could improve the experience of this fresh vanilla, perfectly balanced chocolate, elegant Key lime, tangy raspberry, slightly salty English toffee. Prices range from $3.49 (small) to $4.60 (large).