A collection of baking wisdom from America’s immigrant communities sets A Baker’s Odyssey apart from other baking books. You can hear author Greg Patent talk about his work at the James Beard House this Wednesday (see details below).

Gothamist had this to say about this fascinating cookbook.

It’s rare when a book causes the sudden desire to collect large quantities of AP flour, unsalted butter and sugar, but that’s what Greg Patent’s A Baker’s Odyssey might do to you. Other traditional bake-books operate within the wholly confined orbit of strudel and streusels; A Baker’s Odyssey has strudels galore but is also about forgotten or esoteric American immigrant recipes, so it also covers kulich and chin chin cookies, shoofly pie and puran poori. Recipes involve techniques and ingredients that have sort of fallen by the wayside in an age of 30 minute meals: The book’s cannoli shell dough is made with Madeira, and ANZAC cookies are made with Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Here’s the info for the James Beard House event:

You are cordially invited to a reading, book signing and discussion with Greg Patent, author of A Baker’s Odyssey.

A BAKER’S ODYSSEY celebrates time-honored recipes from America’s rich immigrant heritage. Recipes are organized by cooking style instead of nationality, allowing home cooks to see the connections between regional specialties.

Time: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 12 – 1 p.m.

Location: The James Beard House Dining Room, 167 West 12th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)

Cost: Students: free; all others: suggested donation, $20,

Refreshments: Sweets provided by Three Tarts; strudel courtesy of Greg Patent; Acqua Panna and S.Pellegrino waters, illy caffe, and Green& Black’s® Chocolate

To register please call: Colleen Vincent, Reservations Manager, 212-627-2308

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