6 innovative apple dishes on Montreal menus in October

Summer may be long gone, but eating local doesn’t have to mean a diet of kale and turnips. Apples are in, and while they’ll last through to the thaw, they’re at their crunchiest, freshest, and juiciest right now, fresh from the trees. According to some of Montreal’s best restaurants, though, pie and crisp aren’t the only ways to enjoy the seasonal fruit. Here are some of the most innovative apple dishes on Montreal menus for at least the next few weeks.

At Lawrence, apple snuggles up to smoked mackerel, celery root and bacon in a satisfying app. And while there is a classic apple pie à la mode for dessert, innovation seekers will be tempted by the savoury version – apple and pig’s cheek tart. Apples get boozy at brunch in bourbon and apple cider cocktails. Virgins go with freshly-pressed apple juice instead.

5201 St. Laurent | lawrencerestaurant.com

Marché Bar à Tartare 27 keeps it light and fresh with a green apple salmon sashimi and a watercress and jalapeno emulsion.

27 Prince Arthur W. | marche27.com

Café Sardine chef, Aaron Langille, prefers his apples poached in stout with a rootbeer-flavoured sarsaparilla mousse, smoked butter puff pastry, sweetened cilantro syrup, and whole honeycomb.

9 Fairmount E. | cafesardine.com

Leméac’s contemporary but elegant tarte tatin is gourmet decadence at its best: Impossibly flaky pastry with apple cider caramel, grapes, and pecan praline ice cream.

1045 Laurier W. | restaurantlemeac.com 

Au Pied de Cochon does an apple foie gras (what don’t they make into foie gras?), but there’s also a blue cheese, apple and endive salad to start and a sinfully sweet baked apple for dessert.

536 Duluth E. | restaurantaupieddecochon.ca

Chez Chose tops their Maurel-Coulombe farm foie gras with an apple salsa and red wine shallot confit. For brunch, there’s apple blood pudding and $6 sparkling wine mimosas to make the sausage go down even easier.

4621 St. Denis | chezchose.net