Chef Shack, the book

If you love food trucks, then you'll love "Food Trucks," the book, which hits bookstores today.

Chicago food writer Heather Shouse visited 20 cities from Los Angeles to Portsmouth, N.H., immersing herself in the food truck movement and chronicling some of its key players in words, pictures and recipes. It's a fascinating and colorful read.

When she dropped in on Minneapolis, Shrouse fell for the Chef Shack, the city's first meals-on-wheels purveyor, founded by top chefs Lisa Carlson and Carrie Summer.

Chef Shack chefs/co-owners Lisa Carlson and Carrie Summer.

Shrouse captures the trajectory of so many food-truckers when she descibes the duo's 2007 debut at the Mill City Farmers Market:

"Lines formed immediately for the hand-cut fries and bacon ketchup, tongue tacos dress with corn salsa, and all-natural beef hot dogs loaded with gourmet toppings. "We were raking in more in a day than a cook is really used to making in a week, and Carrie was like, 'Are you ready to be famous for hot dogs?'" Lisa says. "At first I was like, 'I went to New York and I cooked at all these really great places, and I'm finally getting known for french fries?' It was kinda hard on my ego, but I realized if you do one thing you just do it really well, not matter what it is."

Great, right? "Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes from the Best Kitchens on Wheels" is published by Ten Speed Press, and it's $20.

Here's the recipe from Shrouse's book:

FRENCH TOAST WITH SHAVED APPLES AND BACON BEER BRATS

Serves 4.

Note: "If you really want to replicate the Chef Shack's most popular fall dish, go organic with the eggs and milk, try to get your hands on some bacon beer brats (they use Fischer Farms) and crisp up the bread in a deep fryer," writes "Food Trucks" author Heather Shouse. "If that sounds out of reach for you, your favorite pork sausage links will do, and a griddle or frying pan should work almost as well." From "Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes from the Best Kitchens on Wheels" (Ten Speed Press, $20).

4 eggs

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

12 slices multigrain bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Vegetable oil or canola oil for pan

4 pork sausage links

2 tart-sweet apples, such as Pink Lady or similar variety, cored and cut into matchsticks or small slivers

1/4 c. maple syrup