The malva pudding served at Sqirl in Los Angeles. Photo supplied.

Apricot jam is a pretty big deal in South Africa. We spread it on French toast, blob it into vetkoek and even spoon it into chicken casseroles – and don’t even get us started on all the applications of its spicier cousin, Mrs Ball’s chutney.

But Sqirl, an award-winning café in Los Angeles, is using it in a particularly lekker application – malva pudding. The dessert counts among its fans musician and author Questlove (yes, the drummer for The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), according to The New York Times.

Winner of the 2015 Eater National Award for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Sqirl is a sunny bakery in LA’s Silver Lake neighbourhood that rose to fame for its toast. But this isn’t any old square of white bread: it could be made with burnt brioche, dollops of homemade ricotta and seasonal strawberry-rose-geranium jam, or topped with avocados, hot pickled carrots, green garlic crème fraîche, wood sorrel and house za’atar. The café also serves rice bowls, nourishing salads and special house-made drinks. (Do yourself a favour and dedicate a few moments to Sqirl’s menu.)

A photo posted by @sqirlla on Mar 8, 2016 at 3:21pm PST

So how did malva end up baking in a Southern Californian oven? “When I opened Sqirl I was looking for recipes that utilised preserves in unique ways – not just the traditional thumb-print cookie,” says owner Jessica Koslow. “I asked around to friends for advice and inspiration… One of my friends, Erica, lived in Cape Town and she told me about it.  Then I went down the internet rabbit hole until I tested ours enough times to make something unique.”

While apricot jam isn’t really a thing in Jessica’s neck of the woods, strawberry and raspberry jams are. “Anything red has precedence,” she explains. “We put jam on a lot of things here (our French toast, too), but somehow apricot jam is more of a specialty item when in season – and it’s so, so good. Especially since there’s a special variety called blenheim apricot – and those are just the king/queen of flavour!”

A photo posted by @sqirlla on Jun 18, 2015 at 4:48pm PDT

And how do customers respond to the malva? “It’s our #1 dessert. It’s so ‘ugly’ that it makes people curious… They ask, ‘What is that caramelly-oozy thing doing next that that beautiful plum tart?!’ and the response is always, ‘Get it.  You won’t be sorry.’”

Jessica sadly admits that she’s never tasted malva made by a South African, but we’re confident hers would get ouma’s approval, as it has “a crystallised crust and oozy insides, and is served warm, with a spoon”. Nailed it.

 

A photo posted by @sqirlla on Mar 16, 2015 at 6:48pm PDT

Here’s our recipe for a malva pudding to make at home.

Jessica’s first cookbook, Everything I Want To Eat – Sqirl and the new California Cooking, will be published this spring.