Morsels for the Body and Mind
Most of us appreciate a little taste of sweetness from time to time—we are hardwired for it. Bite into a cream-frosted, sea-salt-sprinkled chocolate brownie and instantly a tinge of dopamine is released through the brain. Shoulders drop. Stress falls away. We transcend the moment.
Science confirms that the first two bites of something are packed with most of the flavor and release the most efficient amount of pleasure to the brain. If you have been to Traverse City’s Morsels bakery, you’ve undoubtedly had this experience in one complete serving from their selection of over 100 different bite-sized treats. The display case typically offers morsels with names like espresso yourself, ninja turtle, redhead and something to wine about. However, to heighten the experience—and, if we’re lucky, release a tad more dopamine—the body might like something new, something that stimulates intellect and wit as well. A custom morsel might just fit the bill, with a name and recipe crafted together for exactly that purpose: to entice the senses.
These treats begin with the intellect and are reflected best in the name that co-owner and morsel artist Misha Neidorfler crafts. Sitting down to create a new morsel, she first plays with word combinations, rhymes and recipes. Websites like RhymeZone.com, ScrabbleWordFinder.org and FoodCoach.com help her brainstorm. In the case of her custom morsels, each one relates to both the name of the person it is being created for and the flavor itself, so there is a connection with the personality that must be finely tuned. “I think what’s important, and what makes the names so fun, is that specific connection,” says Neidorfler.
The majority of her custom morsels are created for the National Writers Series and their visiting authors. Notable author-inspired treats include brokawfee toffee, almond roy, david cideris, batali finale and the silva bullet.* Earlier this year, in celebration of local musician Josh Davis’s rise on the TV show “The Voice,” she created the butternut squashua davis.
“I’ve had several celebrities thank me for turning them into a baked good, or say that they love the morsel-version of themselves,” adds Neidorfler. “There seems to be a bit of ownership that comes with having your name turned into a tasty little baked treat.”
For this article, Neidorfler guided the author through her creative process using a café regular, Rob Bacigalupi, director of the Downtown Development Authority. Bacigalupi is tall, well-dressed and dignified. Plus, he has a last name with intriguing options. After a few tries and some ideas sketched out on a notepad, she settled on the “most obvious” choice.
The next step was finding a base recipe—done quickly after a search for scotch frosting—and then finally crafting the Morsels recipe. The result: A gentleman’s brownie perfectly suited for Mr. Bacigalupi. From there, it was into the kitchen to work with Morsels baker Aleshia Oosterhart to make it their own. Voilà! The rob scotchigalupi is created.
“We can create custom morsels named after people, events, businesses and so on,” offers Neidorfler. “We do the naming, which lets us experiment with recipes and names until we have the right combination. We’ll provide a flavor label just like we use in the shop for display.”
Custom orders are crafted for a minimum order of eight dozen. Also, anyone can order previously made custom morsels; the minimum order is four dozen. And for those without a sweet tooth, savory morsels are also an option.
Morsels Espresso + Edibles
Espresso bar, bakery and café
321 E. Front St., Traverse City
Open seven days
231-421-1353 MorselsBakery.com
NIEDORFLER’S TOP 11, AND AN HONORABLE MENTION
#11, fig notaro, for Tig Notaro: orangezest shortbread with orange-fig preserves, powdered sugar glaze
#10, niffenegger fluffernutter, for Audrey Niffenegger: yellow cake with peanut butter and marshmallow cream frosting
#9, the king’s peach, for the movie The King’s Speech: shortbread with peach preserves and buttercream frosting
#8, colin quince, for Colin Quinn: shortbread, quince preserves, powdered sugar glaze
#7, bill mahershmallow, for Bill Maher: malted chocolate cake topped with house-made marshmallow cream
#6, sconey bennett, for Tony Bennett: dried cherry and pecan scone
#5, butternut squashua davis, for Joshua Davis: spiced butternut squash cake with cream cheese frosting and orange zest
#4, judd apachow mein, for Judd Apatow: yellow cake with maple frosting and crunchy chow mein on top
#3, richcurd ford, for Richard Ford: lemon curd tartlette
#2, bonnie jolt campbell, for Bonnie Jo Campbell: dark chocolate espresso cake with mocha frosting and freshly ground espresso on top
#1, orange peely dan, for Steely Dan: chocolate cake, orange frosting and fresh orange zest
Honorable mention goes to the michael morsel. Says Neidorfler, “The michael morsel was our first official custom-named morsel; we made it for the Traverse City Film Festival in 2008. It was just so perfect, we had to do it. We change the flavor every year, but it always relates to film or the festival in some way. We’ve played on popcorn, movie candy, the silver screen and the 10-year anniversary.”
* Tom Brokaw; Roy Blount Jr.; David Sedaris; Mario Batali; and Daniel Silva, respectively.
