The team behind The Grand Budapest Hotel let us in on the fiercely guarded recipe for Mendl’s Courtesan au Chocolat.
Fox Searchlight
If you've already seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, the latest (tiny blockbuster) film from King of Whimsy Wes Anderson, you know which character really saves the day: a little tower of cream-filled pastries called a Courtesan au Chocolat. If you haven't seen it yet, you'll get your chance when it opens in more cities and theaters on March 14.
According to Budapest producer Jeremy Dawson, the pastry "was part of the story from the beginning." They asked a local baker in Gorlitz, Germany, where the film was shot (Anemone Müller of Cafe CaRe) to come up with something similar to a classic religieuse pastry. Then she worked with Anderson to perfect the final look.
The good news is that, when you leave the theater hungry, you'll be prepared to address the problem. Although the fictional baker Herr Mendl would never give away the secret recipe for his confection, Anderson's team was kind enough share Müller's version, along with a video showing how to make it.
It's not too complicated. First, you make a simple choux pastry dough.
Then pipe the dough into three sizes of dollops.
