Courtesan au Chocolat
A tower of cream-filled choux pastries, coated in chocolate and decorated with pastel icing. Inspired by Mendl's signature confection in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
- prep
- 1 h
- cook
- 30 min
- total
- 1 h 30 min
- serves
- 8
- level
- hard
"Mendl's" is a fictional, beloved bakery in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), whose boxed pastries, wrapped in distinctive pastel pink packaging, become a recurring visual motif and even a plot device as they travel across the film's fictional country.
The real prop pastries were actually designed by celebrated pastry chef Dominique Ansel, built on genuine French choux pastry technique rather than pure movie fantasy, which means a real version of this tower of cream-filled puffs is entirely within reach at home.
Part of our 40 famous movie foods list.
method
Make the choux pastry: bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously until it forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the pan.
Return to low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, to dry it out slightly, then transfer to a bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each, until the dough is smooth, glossy and pipeable.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Pipe the dough into small rounds on a lined baking tray.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed, golden and dry to the touch. Cool completely.
For the pastry cream, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch together. Heat the milk until just steaming, then whisk it slowly into the yolk mixture. Return everything to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Stir in the vanilla, then cool completely, covered.
Fill the cooled choux shells with the pastry cream, using a piping bag.
Dip the tops of the filled puffs in melted chocolate, and let set briefly.
Stack the puffs into a small tower, securing with a little extra chocolate if needed, and decorate with delicate dots and swirls of pastel pink and blue icing.
chef's tips
- Drying the choux dough briefly over low heat after adding the flour, and cooling it before adding the eggs, are both small steps that prevent a greasy, flat pastry instead of a properly risen, hollow shell.
- In The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), "Mendl's" is a fictional bakery whose boxed pastries, including this one, become a recurring visual motif and plot device throughout the story, famous for their distinctive pastel pink packaging.
- The actual prop pastries used in filming were designed by celebrated pastry chef Dominique Ansel, built on real French choux pastry technique rather than pure fantasy, which is why a genuine version is entirely achievable at home.
- Pipe the decorative icing with a very fine tip and a light hand; the look in the film is delicate and precise, not heavy or thick.