How to Master A Croustade Iron – A Simple Guide for Professional Chefs

Croustades are more than just crispy shells – they’re a containers for creativity. In this guide, we teach you how to make perfect croustades with tips, techniques, and product advice from Nordic Chefs.

Restaurant Jordnær

Introduction: Why Croustades Matter in a Professional Kitchen

Croustades are small, crispy shells that can hold both sweet and savory fillings. They’re popular in fine dining because they’re elegant, easy to serve, and packed with possibilities. At Nordic Chefs, we work with chefs across the world to create high-quality tools like our croustade iron – made to help you make perfect croustades every time.

This guide gives you simple, practical advice to help you use croustades in your kitchen, whether you’re hosting a tasting menu or prepping snacks for a busy service.

What You’ll Learn:

What croustades are and how to use them
How to make the best croustade snack
Choosing the right base
Creative filling ideas
Toasting and shaping tips
How to plate and garnish

CHECK OUT our video from Restaurant Jordnær by Chef Eric Vildgaard HERE!

What is a Croustade?

A croustade is a small shell made from batter or pastry that’s fried or baked until crispy. It holds a filling – like fish tartare, vegetables, or sweets – and is meant to be eaten in one or two bites.

At Nordic Chefs, we offer a professional croustade iron that makes it easy to create perfectly shaped croustade every time. You can find it here: Single Croustade Iron.

How to Make the Best Croustade Snack!

A great croustade should be thin, crispy, and strong enough to hold filling. Here’s a simple way to get started:

Heat your croustade iron in oil (180°C or 356°F) for 20-30 minutes.
Dip the hot iron in the prepared batter (don’t let it go over the top of the croustade – Check out our 3 michelin starred recipe from restaurant Jordnær
Fry it in the oil. It will bubble, crisp up, and slide off.
Cool it on paper towels and store in a dry box.

Every batch teaches you something. Try adding herbs or spices to the batter, or make mini versions using our smaller heads.

Choosing the Right Batter

Most croustades are made with batter like ours – using a croustade iron. To make a pastry shell, you can also use pastry dough, puff pastry, bread, or even vegetables like zucchini or potatoes. These variations offer new textures and can fit gluten-free or vegan needs.

If you want uniform, professional results, we recommend sticking with batter and the croustade iron. You’ll get fast results, clean edges, and the kind of presentation professional kitchens serve!

Filling Ideas for Croustade

A croustade shell is a blank canvas. Some popular options:

Smoked fish and dill cream (Nordic Cuisine)
Beetroot tartare with horseradish (vegetarian take)
Chocolate mousse with citrus (dessert like Croustade using a sweet batter)
Lemon curd and toasted meringue (One of our favorite desserts in a snack)

Think about texture: combine soft mousse with crunchy toppings like seeds or fried herbs. Keep it colorful. Always taste before serving.

Shaping, frying, and Technique

Use the Nordic Chefs croustade iron to create even shapes. Don’t let batter overflow on the top edge – this causes the shell to stick or break.

Tips:

Keep your oil between 180–190°C
Preheat the iron fully before dipping in batter
Don’t rush. Hold the iron in the oil until the shell releases

Let the croustades cool fully before stacking or storing. Moisture ruins the crunch. Check out our video on how to make a croustade

Presentation and Plating

You don’t need gold dust to impress – just clean plating and color contrast.

Use edible flowers or microgreens for a fresh look
Stack croustades or serve them in groups of 3 for tasting menus with different designs using our 5-piece croustade kit
for presentation on our bigger molds, use a quenelle spoon to plate soft fillings in elegant shapes, using our Quenelle Spoon kit

Final Croustade Tips

Always store bunuelos molds in airtight containers.
Make fillings ahead of time, but fill last minute to keep shells crispy.
Practice quenelle technique with whipped cream and the right spoons.

Choose You Own Style - Single, Double or FiveMount

Croustades give you endless options to create exciting, elegant dishes in your kitchen. With the right tools from Nordic Chefs and a bit of practice, you can serve showstopping bites that wow your guests every time.

Start your croustade journey today and explore our professional tools: Nordic Chefs – Shop Now

Let your creativity guide you – and use this blog to improve, and stay inspired.