Montreal Coleslaw

So, did I mention that I went to Montreal? Oh yeah.. I did. Did I mention that I'm yearning to be back there? Did that too, eh? I haven't officially come down off my Montreal high, even though it's been more than enough time. There's just something about that city that makes me miss it in a strange way.

I've been to Montreal many times, but I always find something new each time I go there. This year, we discovered the markets. And during one of our market visits, I discovered la pomme blanche. It's a beautiful, small green apple that's first harvested in July, and then again August. It's not just tart, it's sour. Think sour apple candy! It's totally delicious, totally refreshing and totally sour! I bought a huge basket just a few days before were were supposed to come home, and seeing as I didn't want to lug a gigantic bag of apples on the train with me, I had to eat most of them up. My partner is not really a sour apple snacker. He'll have a bite, but that's about it. My best friend is against apples in general (yes yes.. only when they're raw because they have a weird texture .. crunchy? crispy? delicious? ahem...).




So. I. Ate. Apples. I snacked on them pre-breakfast, post-workout with a glass of grapefruit juice at the tiny kitchen table before anyone else even got out of bed. I packed them on our walking adventures and happily crunched them in between drinking coffees and eating bagels. I ate them after dinner as a refreshing fruity dessert. I even made a sandwich with one and stuffed slices of it in between orange-honey mustard and vache qui rit cheese. It was the perfect train snack. Totally perfect.

When I got home, I had 4 pommes blanches left and with 2, I made this delicious coleslaw that reminded me of all my favourite flavours from this past Montreal trip: sour apples, sweet local strawberries and tangy orange mustard. I also threw in some beet because I remembered seeing these beautiful mulit-coloured beets at the market. It added a beautiful deep flavour to the salad and balanced out the cheek puckering apple very nicely. The dressing is on the sweet side, and doesn't follow the 3:1 oil-vinegar ration, which is what I like, but feel tree to taste as you make it and adjust accordingly. Seeing as we don't have pommes blanches here in Ontario, I'd say the granny smith would be a fine substitute, or even better, the ginger gold, which I just discovered. It has a very similar texture to la pomme blanche, but isn't quite as sour. If you're against apples, I can't help you here.. this salad screams "J'aime les pommes!"

Counting the says til my next trip back to la belle province...


Sour Apple Coleslaw with Sweet Fruity Dressing

1/4 of a large (I mean huge) head of purple cabbage (or 1/2 of a normal sized one)
2 sour apples
1/2 a giant beet root (or 1 normal sized one)

1.5 tablespoons of honey mustard
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of orange marmalade
2 teaspoons of strawberry jam
1 tablespoon of olive oil
a little grinding of black pepper

mix-ins (optional): goat cheese, sunflower seeds, toasted walnuts or almonds

1. Shred your cabbage. Julienne your apples and beet. Mix together in a large bowl.

2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, marmalade, jam, olive oil and pepper. Give it a taste and adjust to what you like.

3. Pour your dressing over the salad and give it a nice big toss. Let it sit in a fridge for at least 20 minutes. Top with mix-ins of your choice and enjoy!