Apple is still the flavor of the fall

Pumpkin spice may be the favorite flavor of autumn, but apples, the old standby, remain the true herald of the changing season. And although thousands of varieties are grown the world over — nearly 7,500 in total — classics like the Red Delicious and Granny Smith remain as popular as ever in New Jersey.

Which is "best," though? That depends on your personal preference and how you intend to use it.

Celery root and apple puree from Saddle River Inn

Jessica Marotta, 31, pastry chef for Local Seasonal Kitchen in Ramsey, uses apples throughout the winter, and although she personally prefers the sour, tart flavor of the Granny Smith, she uses several varieties when cooking. One of Marotta's favorite concoctions is apple cider caramel, which she makes using caramel combined with puréed apples and apple cider (in place of heavy cream.)

"It's a little lighter, but the flavor comes through," she said. "It tastes like liquefied caramel apples, and it's really good over vanilla ice cream."

Over the last few years, Marotta has found a new favorite branch of the fruit's extensive family tree: the Honey Crisp. "They're not overwhelmingly sweet, and they've got this really nice floral flavor," she said. "And they're super crunchy … I can't get over them."

Jason DeGise, whose family has owned Demarest Farms Orchard in Hillsdale since 1886, is a Honey Crisp fan too, noting that their "sweet flavor with a little hint of tartness" has led to an explosion in their popularity. "It's a giant," he said.

DeGise, along with co-owner James Spollen, grew 18 varieties over 14 acres this year, and thousands of visitors paid the $5 admission to wander his fields and pick their own bag of Galas or Wine Fats (another popular brand often used in cooking). He often sees multiple generations of the same family return year after year.

"It seems to be a tradition that just stays in families," he said.

There's an added benefit to picking your own, DeGise said: When you pull the fruit off the tree yourself, you know you're getting this year's crop. That's not the case when purchasing apples in supermarkets, where transporters and grocers have found that apples can be kept for up to a year if they're put in a temperature-controlled environment free of oxygen. That apple you grab in the "fresh produce" aisle, he said, may have been picked eight months ago.

Michael Sinatra, spokesman for Whole Foods' northeastern region, said that the apples' ongoing popularity is rooted in its tremendous culinary versatility.

"As you walk around the store, you see that they go well with so many recipes: pastries, sauces, jellies, etc.," he said.

Most of Whole Foods' stock comes from the Hudson Valley, and he noted that the Honey Crisps and SweeTangos (similar to Honey Crisps with pinkish coloration) are the popular varieties at the moment. Newcomers like Zestar (a cross between a Honey Crisp and a Golden) and Kiki (similar in taste to the well-known Fuji) will be making an appearance in late October and November.

"A grocery store should be very indicative of seasonal change, the produce department specifically, and these just sort of scream 'fall,' " Sinatra said.

One big benefit of the apple inundation, said Nicole Dvorak, registered dietitian with Hackensack University Medical Center, is that the fruit is widely respected as a health food, what with their low calorie count (95 for a medium), high fiber content, and complete lack of sodium or fat.

Do yourself a favor and eat the skin, Dvorak said, because that's where the vitamin C and fiber are. "You should eat the entire fruit, and eating them fresh is probably going to be the best option versus baking them in a pie," she said.

Tell that to chef Steven Christianson, and he'll probably ignore you.

"I make apple crisps or strudels over the whole winter," said Christianson, who worked at the Four Seasons in Manhattan, Café Panache in Ramsey (where he was a partner), and owned Citrus Grille in Airmont, N.Y., before opening St. Eve's restaurant in Ho-Ho-Kus in 2011. "How can you go wrong with an apple tart and some ice cream?"

Most of Christianson's apples come from orchards in New York State, and when searching for the perfect one, he looks for firm ones without any bruising. He often uses combinations of Honey Crisps and Granny Smiths, and said the sweetness of the former perfectly complements the tartness of the latter.

"They're so flexible, and I can do so much with them," he said, adding that this fall he is trying his hand at homemade apple cider. It's not complicated, he said: Juice a few kinds of apples; add autumnal spices like cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon; and cook for an hour before straining it. He's never done it before, but the first batch will be served this year.

Jamie Knott, 34, the chef and owner of the Saddle River Inn, cooks with Honey Crisps, too calling this year's yield "amazing." He roasts them and features them on a dish with a celery-root apple purée and pan-seared scallops topped with an apple cider reduction. He also plans to pair them with the first cuts of Iowa venison, which are set to arrive next week.

When buying apples, Knott looks for firmness, but acknowledged that you can't ultimately tell an apple's quality until you eat it. "Apples fool everybody," he said.

DeGise focuses on firmness and color — stay away from the "spongy, dehydrated ones" and head for the deepest red — while Marotta seeks apples that still have the stems attached. Why? Because that denotes a fresh apple, Marotta said; as the fruit ages, the stem is likely to dry out and fall off.

And don't worry about how shiny they are, said DeGise, because that's just a wax sprayed on post-picking meant to boost marketing appeal.

"When they're fresh, they're obviously not shiny," he said.

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