For all the hope we invest in the dipping of apples into honey at Rosh Hashanah—hope for a sweet year, for good health and grace—most of us who celebrate the holiday grew up dunking mealy Red Delicious slices into some pasteurized product of vague provenance squeezed out of a plastic bear's head. A shanda. In this moreenlightened time of heirloom fruitand careful sourcing, why not raise the stakes on tradition?
As with most foods,not all honeys are the same. Nor apples. The right pairing can turn a rote ritual into a subject of interest—maybe even revelation. Try any of these combinations—or better yet, try several. Pairing is a game you play with your own taste buds. It's fun, a fitting pursuit for a happy holiday.
Gravenstein Apple + Lavender Honey
This is our George Burns and Gracie Allen pairing: One all sweetness, the other all acerbic (or, rather, ascorbic) zingers. Gravensteins aren't nearly as tart as, say, Granny Smiths, but their acidity is lemony and lively, the perfect foil to the the intensely floral, syrupy quality of the honey. It's worth noting that Gravensteins grown in warmer climes, like Virginia or California, tend to be sweeter than northern Gravs, but even there, the pairing still holds.
BUY IT:Hedene Lavender Honey, $30 at Murray's Cheese
Honeycrisp Apple + Chestnut Honey
The Honeycrisp is like the Golden Retriever of apples: It just wants to please. Want a crisp apple? Pick me! A sweet one? Me! A tart one? You bet! One that holds up well in cooking? I can! Honeycrisp will play with just about any honey, which is why I matched it with something more challenging, like chestnut, with its smoky, leathery, honeysuckle notes. This pairing will make your tastebuds sit up and beg.
BUY IT:Rigoni di Asiago Chestnut Honey, $13 on Amazon
McIntosh Apple + Apple Blossom Honey
McIntosh may turn to mush when cooked, but it's bold in flavor: lots of acid, some spice, plenty of tannins. Apple blossom honey, with its high sweetness, fruitiness, and creamy mouth feel, rounds out all those rough edges. Apple blossom honey may be an obvious choice for apples, but it's particularly apt here.
BUY IT:Mieli Thun Apple Blossom Honey, $15 from Amazon
Pink Lady Apple + Macadamia Nut Honey
The Pink Lady apple comes from Australia—hardly proximate to Hawaii, but loads closer than all the apples bred in England or New York. But the real reason why this pairing works is the way the lemon-strawberry-pear flavors of the apple play against the mellow creaminess of the honey. Together, they taste a bit like a particularly fruity bar of white chocolate.
BUY IT:Big Island Bees Raw Macadamia Nut Blossom Hawaiian Honey, $14 on Amazon
Gala Apple + Tupelo Honey
Gala is a nice girl. Always sweet, smells good, rosy-cheeked. And tupelo honey is liquid sunshine. Like a good marriage, these two amplify best other's best qualities without drawing attention to Gala's lack of edge or Tupelo's simple (dare we say shallower?) charms. Tupelo honey, in addition to being delicious and a great choice for people who dislike funkier honeys, is famous for its resistance to forming crystals, so you can keep this one around until next holiday season.Shanah Tovah!
BUY IT:Savannah Bee Company Tupelo Honey, $11 on Amazon
Ready for another sweet take on apples? You could use some very easy and incredibly addictiveApple Browniesorthe ultimate honey cake.
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