It seems like every week there's another new and interesting variety of apple hitting the store. Over the next few months, a good batch of apples is set to arrive in stores from New Zealand, where the height of summer is just about to head into fall - prime apple season in the cooler areas Down Under.
I should say up front that I like a crisp, sweet apple. I'm not a big fan of tart apples. Which is too bad, because it seems like the more tart the apple variety, the more likely that it will be crispy. It seems like sweeter apple varieties are a lot more likely to be mushy or grainy.
Speaking of mushy and grainy, I used to adore Asian pears, but it seems like they have degraded in quality over the last ten years or so. I can't remember the last time I had a Asian pear that wasn't mushy, grainy, or both. And usually bland or astringent, to boot.
If you feel the same way, then check out Opal apples. These golden yellow apples have the same perfumed sweetness I used to crave in Chinese pears, with a crisp crunchy texture. A caveat: Opals seem to vary widely in quality from apple to apple. Pick through the bin and select the darker, heavier fruit. But not too dark, because they may be over-ripe.
I think Envy is a strong contender to unseat Honeycrisp for the title of "best apple." Honeycrisps can be a little too sour for my taste, and their surge in popularity means that the quality has degraded as growers try to rush non-peak fruit to market to capitalize on the best prices.
Envy apples are a cross between Braeburn and Royal Gala, with the best qualities of both. I have also learned that Envy apples are strongly resistant to browning, so if you need to slice some up for an appetizer plate, they are a great choice (no need to dose with lemon juice).
Image courtesy Flickr/kightp
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