gina abelkop's malva pudding

This is the fourth entry in my Writers Eat series. I'm asking writers I admire to share their favorite recipes and/or foods here on Plums in the Icebox. The food will sometimes tie in with the writer's work, but sometimes not. If you're a writer and you're interested in participating, let me know!

I had never heard of Malva Pudding before poet Gina Abelkop said she was going to make it for this series. Apparently it's a classic Afrikaner dessert; Malva Pudding uses apricot, which isn't an ingredient I usually cook with, but this recipe looks so good I am going to run out and get some apricot jam ASAP.

Gina is one of my favorite people, even though I've never actually met her (that's going to change soon thanks to AWP 2012!). She was kind enough to publish my chapbook MEET THE LAVENDERS through her feminist press, Birds of Lace, and since then we've become Internet besties. We like all the same things, like mascarpone cheese, Fiona Apple, the movie She's the Man, fashion, small dogs, and our old LiveJournals. I love this poem of hers, which appeared in Everyday Genius in 2012. One of my favorite things about Gina is that she's a tireless champion of art of all kinds; her enthusiasm for writing and art and music and fashion and everything creative comes across so strongly, even through Twitter. She's continually making art herself, too; Gina made limited-edition pins for the release of my chapbook and hand screenprinted posters for her own book. She also co-edits the online magazine Prayers for Children. 

Gina's first book of poems was just published by Apostrophe Books. Her manuscript for DARLING BEASTLETTES won the 2011 Apostrophe manuscript contest and I've heard firsthand how incredible her the book is. 

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The recipe is from my mom, who got it from my grandmother, who got it from a restaurant in South Africa. Here is the recipe:

Malva Pudding

serves 4-5

total time: approx 1 hr 20 minutes

total hands on time: approx 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 cup sugar 

1 egg 

1 tbs apricot jam 

1 cup flour 

1tsp baking soda 

generous pinch of salt 

1 tbs butter 

1 tsp vinegar 

1 cup milk

for the  sauce: 

1 cup cream 

4oz butter 

1 cup sugar

half cup hot water 

Directions:

Beat the egg and sugar in mixer,  not too fast.  Add sugar and mix,  Add jam and mix. Put aside. 

Sift flour, salt, and baking soda together, and set aside.  

Melt butter, add vinegar, and milk, and set aside.  

Add the  dry ingredients alternately with the milk mixture to the egg + sugar mix,

Beat well and bake in a covered dish- either a glass cover, or you can use aluminum.  

  

Bake at 350 for approx 1 hr (note: my oven must run hot because I cooked it for maybe 35 mins and it was done. check it on after a half hour- you want it to be a golden color.) 

Boil the sauce in a pan, and pour over pudding when you take out of the oven.  Use all the sauce.  It will slowly sink in. Serve with cream poured on top.

It tastes like god. Yummm.

photos courtesy of Gina Abelkop

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I can't wait to make this! I almost never make desserts, especially ones that involve more than a couple of steps, so this will be a fun thing to try.

I haven't gotten my hands on Gina's book yet, but I'm really excited to do so. I'll probably buy it at AWP in Chicago, where Gina and I are both participating in a reading this year. If you're going to be there, too, come see us! Do shots with us, hear us read our poems. If not, visit some of Gina's online spaces (Tumblr, blog), buy her book and enjoy her writing with a big old slice of Malva Pudding.