by Allyson Haas
LA is known for it’s consistently beautiful 72-degrees-and-sunny
weather, but lately that seems not to be the case. Over the past few years, it feels like
perpetual summer. Either I’m siding
with the scientists acknowledging that global warming is indeed an issue we
must tackle, or I’m blaming my offspring for causing my internal body
temperature to never dip below 1000 degrees. Whatever the cause, given the outdoor LA
temps in the excess of 90 in December, May thermometers soaring to the double digits,
and this week’s triple digit heat wave, I’m concerned I may spontaneously
combust.
While I absolutely love our house and life and am thankful every
day for the blessings we have, when the Devil decides to turn up the world’s
thermostat, I become a raving b*tc# and the only thing to cool my internal fire is a good soak in a body of
water. We’ve already been to the beach seven times this season alone. Aside from my
days training for the Malibu triathlon, that number exceeds the total number
I’ve been to the beach in my ten years here. Today, thanks to the generosity of
friends and their parents, C and I were able to spend 90% of the day submerged in an infinity pool.
For those of you who, like us, don’t yet have their own icy cool blue expanse
in which to dip your toes, below are some of the ways we’ve best found to beat
the heat.
Go to a butcher shop and stand in the meat locker. I jest of
course, but I honestly did ponder suggesting this and ending the post, it’s
THAT hot.
I’m not exactly sure when this opened, (I could look it up
but it’s late and I’m tired) but this wonderland of a public beach house feels
like my own personal Beverly Hills Beach Club. If you avoid going on the
weekends and go instead on the dollar splash Mondays where you pay, you guessed it, just
a mere dollar, you can wander up to the ticket window anytime after they
open and buy yourself a poolside setup. $10 for adults, $4 for children and you
have access to a beautiful pool, a chaise lounge, umbrella and a decent
bathroom/changing area. There’s also a rec room filled with games (and air
conditioning), a splash pad, a restaurant and oh yeah, the BEACH. I suggest
splurging for the all day parking pass because despite the fact that you think your
toddler will get cranky and want to leave, he won’t and you’ll all be having a
grand old time until they’re ready to close the place down. Plus, staying late is the best way to avoid the traffic if you live anywhere East of Santa Monica.
If you go on the weekend, get there early or honestly, don’t
bother. You’ll end up walking so far from the parking and will likely spend
half the day interpreting the signs: did you read them properly? Can you park
here? Will your car be towed? But mid week, this place feels like a
college town during spring break. Peaceful, quiet, perfect. Head down towards The Sunset Restaurant. Pay the kind parking folk $8 or so and continue on your
merry way until you can’t drive any further. Park, set, up a
beach blanket and an umbrella and let the sound of the waves and the sights of
the sparkling blue water and the bluffs remind you of
why you moved out here in the first place. If you’re super organized about it
and want to bring an amazing picnic, stop by the Malibu Kitchen in the Lumberyard
and pick up a delicious feast. It’s quite possible that once you unpack everything,
you might want to start paying taxes on your set up as you’ll never want to
leave.
Secret Beach
I debated putting this spot on the list as for the past 10
years I’ve felt like it was my personal secret. This was the beach I visited on
my first trip to LA, and once we parked on the side of the road (next to
Geoffrey’s), climbed the few stairs to the gate that looks like it’s locked
(it’s not) and made our way down the tree canopied path, the view we were met
with was THE reason I moved out here. Calm, serene, surreal. While it’s
definitely NOT the place to lug your toddler and all your gear due to all the stairs, it IS a great place for a romantic rendezvous with your sweetie. Coincidentally, it’s also the site where I met the Haasbund.
Needless to say, I heart this place.
Everyone and their cousin knows about this place so it’s no
great revelation, but it is a great spot to spend a hassle free day at the
beach. We’ve spent the past two birthday’s celebrating C at this particular shoreline
and we plan on going again to mark his 3rd trip around the sun
(which happens to be tomorrow). I promise more details on his party in a
separate post but seeing as I’m technologically challenged, I still haven’t
been able to download the pictures. I’ll get around to it. (Hopefully before
his 4th birthday).
For those of you not up for a drive to Malibu and more interested in staying cool locally, I suggest
Barring these suggestions, the best I can offer is cozying up to a neighbor with a pool, especially if you arrive with a pint (or four) of your own specialty ice cream. You can wow the crowd with this recipe I tested out last week. If that doesn’t score you an invite, then you need to find some new friends, but in the meantime scoop some into a cone and enjoy it old school style on the front stoop. It may not involve a swim suit, but it is a bona fide good. old-fashioned way to keep cool.
Olive Oil Ice Cream
(adapted from Bon Apetit)
1 ¾ cups whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon fleur de sel
½ cup raw cane sugar, plus 2 tsps
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (I’d opt for a fruity one, if
you don’t have that on hand, zest either an orange or a lemon and add to the
mix)
Bring milk, cream, salt and sugar to simmer in medium
saucepan, stirring to ensure sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
In a separate
bowl, whisk egg yolks and 2 tsps sugar until pale. Gradually whisk a bit of the
warm liquid mixture into the yolks and then whisk the yolk mixture back into
the remaining mixture in the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat and stir continuously
until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you have a sieve, strain the
mixture over a bowl set in an ice bath. Whisk in the oil and let cool, stirring
every so often.
Once cooled, process according to ice cream maker instructions.
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