Recovering From a Brain Injury, One Measuring Spoon at a Time
After a burst blood vessel nearly killed her, Jessica Fechtor discovers the restorative power of baking—and receiving—a cake
Jessica Fechtor was just 28 years old when a blood vessel in her brain burst while she was exercising on a treadmill. Newly married, she was pursuing a Ph.D. in Jewish literature at Harvard, and she and her husband had just started thinking about having a baby. Now, suddenly, she was facing a long and difficult recovery–one that got even harder when complications arose after an initial surgery.
Before she was even out of the hospital, Jessica started making lists. Not to-do lists, but grocery lists. She’d always loved cooking, and suddenly, the act of mixing ingredients to produce something delicious for herself and for the people around her felt more important than ever.
She describes what happened in a new book that’s two parts memoir and one part cookbook. It’s called Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home, and Fechtor (who now blogs about food) joins Vox Tablet host Sara Ivry to talk about why she couldn’t fathom telling her story of trauma without talking about food, a favorite butter almond cake (find the recipe here), and what she hopes her daughters eventually take away from the book about their mother’s near-death experience.
Vox Tablet is Tablet Magazine’s weekly podcast, hosted by Sara Ivry and produced by Julie Subrin. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.
Serves 8 to 10
Butter and flour for the pan
3 heaped tablespoons sliced almonds
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for finishing
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 all-purpose flour
A pinch of sea salt flakes, like Maldon, if using
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and butter and flour a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
Spread the sliced almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until fragrant. They should color only slightly.
Whisk together the melted butter and 11/2 cups sugar in a large bowl. Add one egg, whisk until fully incorporated, then add the other and whisk some more. Add the almond extract, vanilla, and salt, and whisk well, until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour until just combined.
Spread the batter even in the prepared pan and scatter the toasted almonds, sea salt flakes, if using, and 1 tablespoon sugar over top. Bake for 35 minutes, until the cake peeking through the almonds takes on a faintly rosy color (this cake blushes more than it browns), and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack until nearly room temperature, then ease the cake out of the pan and cool the rest of the way.
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