New York City is the origin of many food trends, and I was pretty excited to see one of them on a recent visit to that big, hot, humid city.

Clever chefs have taken the concept of an ice cream truck --- the ubiquitous visitor to suburban neighborhoods in the summer --- and done it one better.  Rather than offering the usual fare, rainbow-colored popsicles, drumsticks, creamsicles and Cap'n Crunch bars (I swoon for those), these are dessert trucks.

There are half a dozen of these trucks trolling the streets of New York City.  One offers artisan ice creams in flavors you don't find from Mr. Softee.  Another does mini creme brulees and small bundt cakes.  I heard about chocolate mousse with a caramel corn topping.  Old-fashioned favorites stock one truck, with butterscotch bars and warm chocolate chip cookies.  If you're more adventurous, there's a truck for you, too:  one that features items like rhubarb and lemongrass soup, served cold, of course, or a chocolate bread pudding with a bacon-scented creme anglaise.  (I am not sure about that one.)

The trucks post their locations on their web sites.  Regular hours and sites are iffy, depending on finding parking spaces on crowded side streets and trucks that don't  suddenly break down.

In any event, I ran into the Wafels and Dinges truck, bright yellow and staffed by two enthusiastic men who dispensed hot Belgian waffles with all kinds of toppings.  There was a small line of eager customers on a very sultry afternoon.

Do you think a dessert truck might catch on in your locale?  In New York, part of the thrill is the chase: coming upon a dessert truck when you didn't even know you were hungry for something sweet.  In smaller communities, maybe a dessert truck or cart that is stationary and keeps regular hours would be a fun addition to a standard food scene.

In any event, having seen and heard all about dessert trucks leads me to wanting to bake up a storm, and put together some amazingly rich, creative and delicious desserts.  I love street food anyways, but dessert street food is a completely new and much desired category!