Jan Bilton: The smoking hot heart of Newcastle (+recipes)

A favourite from The Bowery Boys.

Once a drab coal and steel town, Newcastle has transformed into a surprisingly vibrant, laid-back, fun city. An easy three-hour drive up the motorway from Sydney, the second largest city in New South Wales is a popular tourist destination boasting a burgeoning cafe and restaurant scene and easy access to the historic wineries of the Hunter Valley.

In 2011, Lonely Planet crowned it one of the hottest cities in Australia to visit.

The giant brick rail workshops have been transformed into a modern museum and entertainment area. And where once trains chugged between the town and the harbour, a vibrant foodie precinct has sprung up. We enjoyed a wine at The Dockyard bar, watching a tourist ship traverse the harbour entrance.

Darby St - "Eat Street" to local Novocastrians - is abuzz with cafes, bars, boutiques and arts and crafts. We discovered a new cafe, The Bowery Boys - named after an 1840s New York gang famous for running smokehouses and curing their own meats.

Hospitality aficionados Ethan Ortlipp and Ryan Hawthorne persuaded popular Sydney chef Steven Zielke to join them in Newcastle, where they have continued the tradition of their American namesakes by specialising in all that is smoked, cured and pickled. But the menu offers much more than that.

We relished small plates of kingfish carpaccio; tempura-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and black garlic; house-cured prosciutto, roasted vine tomatoes and olives served on toasted ciabatta; and ended with the best-ever panna cotta.

We stayed a night in a quaint 1885 terrace house, Adeline, one of the fully refurbished Terraces for Tourists. It was well placed to walk to the charming, heritage-listed Customs House Hotel for a Mediterranean-inspired dinner of citrus cured salmon, pan-fried snapper with capers and a slow-cooked wagyu brisket. Just another delightful Newcastle surprise.

Recipes

Creme fraiche panna cotta

A favourite from The Bowery Boys.

3 tbsp cold water
3 tsp powdered gelatine
1 cup creme fraiche
2 cups cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup turbinado (raw) sugar
1& 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or essence
1&1/4 cups fresh berries or fruit, hulled and sliced
Sprigs fresh herbs
Sugar to taste

Place the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine on top to soften for 5 minutes.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the creme fraiche, cream, buttermilk and raw sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat just before the mixture reaches a simmer.

Immediately stir in the softened gelatine and vanilla bean paste or essence, whisking until the gelatin dissolves. Strain the creme fraiche mixture through a fine sieve into a large measuring jug.

Pour into eight, 3/4-cup jars, ramekins, bowls or glasses. Cover and chill until firm, about 3-4 hours.

About 10 minutes before serving, combine the fruit and herbs in a bowl and add sugar to taste. Top each panna cotta with a spoonful of the fruit mixture. Serve extra fruit on the side, if desired.
* Serves 8

Kingfish carpaccio
If kingfish is unavailable use thick fillets of snapper or tarakihi. Verjuice is the juice of green grapes picked when they are very tart. A dash of white wine combined with a little lemon juice is a substitute.

250g skinned and boned kingfish
2 small shallots, diced
2 tbsp each: verjuice, balsamic onion marmalade
Finely grated rind 1 small lemon
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Baby basil leaves to garnish
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Cut the kingfish into thin slices across the grain and arrange on a serving plate. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place the shallots in a small bowl and cover with the verjuice. Stand for 5 minutes. Combine with the balsamic onion marmalade and lemon rind and season to taste.

Drizzle the fish with the olive oil and top with the shallot mixture and baby basil leaves. * Serves 2 as a shared plate

Curried egg & bacon breakfast sandwich
This idea I gleaned from Newcastle's One Penny Black cafe - number one for serving great coffee.

2 small rashers bacon
3 eggs, hard-boiled
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2-1 tsp curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 each: shallot, large tomato
Butter or margarine to taste
4 diagonally cut toast-thick slices sourdough bread

Grill or microwave the bacon, until crisp. Chop finely.

Mash the eggs together with the mayo, curry powder and black pepper. Dice the shallot and add together with the bacon. Thinly slice the tomato.

Butter both sides of the bread. Pile the egg mixture on 2 slices. Top with the tomato and remaining bread. Toast in a sandwich press until golden and the filling is hot.
* Serves 2

Fish with lemon butter & caper sauce
My "go to" recipe for fish is reminiscent of the dish I enjoyed at the Customs House Hotel.

500g skinned and boned fish fillets of your choice
1/4 cup plain flour
Salt and pepper to taste
50g butter
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 tbsp each: lemon juice, chopped parsley
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

Combine the flour, salt and pepper.

Coat the fish in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Heat half the butter until foaming in a heavy frying pan on medium-high heat. Pan-fry the fish for around 2-3 minutes each side, depending on the thickness.

Remove to warm serving plates. Add the remaining butter, lemon rind, juice, parsley and capers.

Heat for a minute then divide the sauce evenly over the fish.
* Serves 4