David Lebovitz, the former pastry chef at Chez Panisse and food blogger, has just had his latest book released and it looks like a must have for the adventuresome baker.  “Ready for Dessert” contains some creative new recipes - peanut butter and jelly linzertorte, persimmon cake with cream cheese icing, banana souffles, fresh fig and raspberry tart with honey and lime marshmallow pie.  It also contains some great classics like Chocolate Pots de Creme, Pavlova and David’s favorite chocolate chip cookies. $23.10 from Amazon

Cupcakes are all the rage now, with cupcake bakeries popping up everywhere and young couples serving cupcakes at their weddings instead of the traditional cake.  So why not get in on the cupcake fun at home?  Bella Cupcake Couture has fun cupcake wrappers for every occasion.   Plus the creator of the company, Carrie Middlemiss, has a really neat story about starting Bella Cupcake Couture. Easter wrappers, 50 for $39.99/Dorothy mini wrappers, 18 for $9.00

It’s that time of year again - the compilation by Holly Hughes of the best food writing of the year.  This volume contains 50 essays  - some from the usual suspects (Ruth Reichl, Colman Andrews, Alice Waters) but some delightful lesser knowns like Monica Bhide.

Got a party coming up?  Or a wedding or even just a small dinner party?  These truffle cones from Firelilly Chocolates are the perfect little dessert.  Use them as a favor to pass out or as an after dinner treat.   Stick a tub of them out at your Christmas get together or place one at each table  setting on New Year’s Eve.   They come in a variety of packaging and each cone is individually wrapped.   You can buy bags of them, cute little canisters of two, or these one gallon Apothecary jars, which hold 75 truffle cones!   6 flavors.

Scripps, the parent company of the Food Network, has announced that it will launch a new Cooking Channel in 2010.  With primetime Food Network shows sliding into the “entertainment” category, they realize that their offerings are not for serious cooks anymore (remember the original MTV - it was actually about music videos?).  They will be renaming the Fine Living Network into the Cooking Channel and it will focus on actual cooking!   They are currently on the lookout for a programming director - may I suggest Ruth Reichl?

From the man behind America’s Test Kitchen, Chris Kimball’s top 5 kitchen tips. Definitely worth reading - every one is a keeper.

Beautiful, unusual ceramic designs from a Russian artist in Rhode Island.  These bowls are handmade and stamped with antique numbers - you can pick which number you like.   Dishwasher and food safe,  $40 set of two. From Gleena.

From the unbeatable team of Christopher Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton comes their gorgeous self published cookbook, Canal House Cooking. Christopher, besides being one of the founding editors of Saveur magazine, is the outstanding food photographer behind many wonderful cookbooks, including Lydia’s Family Table and the beautiful A Platter of Figs.  Melissa has worked as an editor and test kitchen director at Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, and Cook’s Illustrated. They have teamed up in a studio in New Jersey which they have named Canal House and are cooking and photographing the foods they love the most.  This is the first volume in three yearly issues.  Single issue $19.95.  Subscription (all three issues) $49.95

The executive chef who was in charge of all the food during the filming of the movie “Julie and Julia” speaks with blogger Amanda Benson in this post on Food & Think. Colin Flynn dishes about behind the scene stories on the set,  the vast quantity of food required for a movie shoot and what is was like to burn the boeuf bourguignon on purpose.

The New York Times has named Sam Sifton, culture editor, to replace Frank Bruni, who is stepping down to write for the New York Times Magazine.  Since the announcement, Sifton’s photo has been all over the internet, leading people to wonder how he will have any anonymity at all.  When asked, Sifton responded, “I’ve got some spy-versus-spy tricks”.   Maybe he can ask Ruth Reichl for some advice on disguises.