A Baker's Odyssey: Celebrating Time-honored Recipes From Ameria's Rich Immigrant Heritage [with Dvd-rom]

""A Baker's Odyssey" is a fascinating book. Not only is this an amazing collection of heirloom recipes, but there are master lessons in baking. Pastry chefs as well as home bakers will adore this book. These are priceless authentic recipes."
--Shirley O. Corriher, author of "CookWise"

"What a wonderful trip into the heart of America through the hands of immigrant women baking memories of all the places they came from in their own American kitchens. Greg Patent's detailed explanations in words and photos allow us the luxury of travel without moving a foot from our stoves."
--Betty fussell, author of "Masters of American Cookery"

"Don't miss this opportunity to join Greg Patent on his extraordinary pilgrimage to discover the marvels of ethnic baking in the melting pot of America's kitchens. He showcases bakers whose generous spirits and unique recipes inspire us to pass on the traditions of our own worlds of baking."
--Flo Braker, author of "The Simple Art of Perfect Baking"

"Greg Patent is to American baking what Elizabeth David was to English--a thorough scholar, evocative writer, and, most of all, a first-rate baker."
--Damon Lee Fowler, author of "Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking"

"I would go anywhere with Greg Patent. I know I am going tolearn something interesting about food, not just how to cook something very delicious. But this odyssey is exactly the kind of trip I dream about. He takes us into the kitchens and cultures of so many different people, Americans who are often keeping up traditions lost even in their ancestral countries. Thank you, Greg."
--Arthur Schwartz, www.thefoodmaven.com

Publisher's Remarks:
"In this book, I'm embarking on a different path, focusing on finding recipes that preserve the tastes and memories of a long-departed place."
--Greg Patent

"A Baker's Odyssey" is a rich collection of recipes and culinary history, all gleaned from Patent's exhaustive research in the American home kitchens of immigrants from around the world. Through his travels across the country, Patent learned the secrets to traditional baked goods originating from thirty-two different nations. From Scotland and Austria to India and Thailand to Mexico, Norway, and West Africa, the recipes represent the best of each culture's beloved culinary traditions. Chapters are organized by categories of baked goods, and include Fried Pastries and Doughs, Flatbreads and More, Savory Pastries, Sweet Pastries, Savory Yeast Breads and Pies, Sweet Yeast Breads, Cookies and Cookie-Like Pastries, and Dessert Cakes, Tortes, and Pies. Patent provides detailed information on the origin of each recipe and its ingredients, and gives a real sense of the cultural heritage behind each dish. Recipes are easy enough for home cooks of any level to master, and include everything from Jewish Matzoh, Eastern European Rugelach, and Sweet Irish Soda Bread to Russian Meat Piroshki, Italian Pignoli Cookies, and Chinese-Style Almond Sponge Cake. The book is accompanied by an hour-long DVD in which Patent provides hands-on instruction in making Strudel, Pretzels, Cannoli, Kransakake, and much more.

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