Q: does Apple recommend the latest version of Adobe Flash Player

If you must use Flash do yourself a favor and keep it up to date.

Yes, if you must use flash, you need to update it as soon as possible after each update is available. Almost all of these are security updates.

Only download and install Flash Player from this Adobe site: http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/. Never from a pop up at some website.

A genuine alert that Flash is outdated and blocked is shown on this page. Follow the instructions on the page in that case. Otherwise, the alert is not trustworthy and someone may be trying to scam you into installing malware. If you see fake update prompts on more than one website, or if you've already followed one of the fake prompts, ask for instructions.