Kiss Me, I'm Granny Smith!

The apple I selected this morning was none other than the famous Granny Smith, one of the most recognizable apples in the supermarket. And yes, I did intentionally choose the green apple on St. Patrick's Day. Granny Smith, known for its tartness, originated from Australia. According to Wikipedia, it's believed that the first Granny Smith apple sprang into existence after an old lady named Maria Ann Smith tossed out the cores of some French crab-apples on her farm. (And I used to think the apple was called Granny Smith because its tartness makes you pucker like a granny!) Now these tart green apples have become one of Australia's best-known exports.

I can definitely see why this apple is great to use in cooking, but it's not my favorite to consume by itself. My coworker loves it, but this apple is a little too tart for me. It also has a very thick, tasteless skin, like the Red Delicious. However, unlike the Red Delcious, whose thick skin is soft and "soggy", the skin of the Granny Smith is kind of tough and leathery and not easy to chew. Though apparently the toughness of the skin and the tartness of the flesh provide some health benefits, according to this article on SFGate.

As I mentioned, Granny Smith is a good cooking apple. Its tartness prevents it from browning quickly, so it's ideal in salads and other recipes. And although its tartness could be a bit overwhelming by itself, it could be a great complement to the other flavors in your dish. Since it is St. Patrick's Day, I decided to look for a recipe involving Guinness and apples, and I found this Green Apple Guinness Melt Recipe that looks quite delicious. If you decide to try it, let me know how it tastes! Here's the picture from their webpage:

According to Orange Pippin, Granny Smith is the child of the French crab-apple and possibly Rome Beauty. Its offspring include Lady Williams (possibly with Jonathan as the other parent), who in turn parented the famous Pink Lady (which I will be writing about later this week). That makes Granny Smith the Granny of Pink Lady!

Stemlit gives these cheeses and wines as the ideal pairs for Granny Smith:
Cheese: Gorgonzola and Blue Cheese
Wine: Merlot, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Port, Champagne/Sparkling, and Sauternes

Hmm, I would definitely like to try this with a Port some time! And since today is the day of the Irish, try it with a Guinness as well!

Happy St. Patty's Day!