I Tried French’s Mustard Ice Cream, and It’s Not as Disgusting as It Sounds
It's National Mustard Day on Aug. 3, and the famous mustard company French's is celebrating by giving fans a chance to taste French's mustard ice cream, free of cost.
If you've seen my past ice cream coverage, you know I don't shy away from weird flavors. I've tried flavors featuring bugs and blood, goat cheese, turkey and olive oil, making mustard ice cream feel like an obvious next step. When I heard it would be available at Coolhaus in Culver City, just a short drive from the Sweety High offices, I knew I'd have to head over and give it taste as soon as I could.
When I got to the shop, I was surprised to find out that the mustard ice cream, and its accompanying pretzel cookie, were completely free of charge. The ice cream had a vibrant, unmistakably mustard-yellow color, and I loved the classic pairing of soft pretzels and mustard being replicated here, with a twist.
Before digging in, I give it a quick whiff. I was surprised by the lack of mustardy aroma. Instead, the scent was a bit flowery, with some sour sharpness. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor when the time came to take my first bite. While I definitely tasted a hint of mustard, it didn't feel as if they mixed a bottle of French's into a vat of vanilla ice cream and called it a day. The flavor was surprisingly subtle, and I was thankful that it had tart floral and fruity notes, and didn't just taste like a hot dog topping gone awry.
I wasn't as surprised to find out that the cookie itself was delicious. It was an ultra-chewy sugar cookie, with pretzel bits baked right into the sweet dough, with a crispy salted pretzel topping for good measure, and it was all too easy to scarf down. It also complemented the mustard ice cream well, adding more sweetness against its slightly sour notes.
Think you're up to trying mustard ice cream yourself? It can only be found at limited locations, and for a limited time, so don't miss out. On the West Coast, Coolhaus ice cream's Culver City, California, location will be serving it up from Aug. 2 – 4 and Aug. 9 – 11. East Coasters can look forward to seeing the Coolhaus and French's mustard ice cream truck in New York City in Madison Square Park and Brooklyn Heights on Aug. 2, and then in the Hamptons at Main Street Hamptons and East Hampton Main Beach on Ocean Ave on Aug. 3.
If you can't make it there, you can also concoct the ice cream yourself at home with French's recipe, found here.
More into traditional ice cream? Click HERE for our definitive ranking of Baskin-Robbins' signature flavors.