I’m so excited to have Vijay from NoshOnIt guest posting here today. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to click on over and sign up for one (or all) of NoshOnIt’s daily newsletters. Each day of the week has a dedicated theme, and brings you a carefully curated recipe PLUS a fantastic cooking tip ranging from technique to kitchen hacks to ingredient spotlights and more. Even better for the gluten-free crowd, every Sunday brings a new gluten-free recipe from a wide array of bloggers (including yours truly)! How awesome is that?

Now let me turns things over to Vijay, with his fantastic, summery recipe for Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Strawberry Balsamic Rhubarb Compote — doesn’t it just look and sound superb?! (I know what I’m making for someone’s birthday!)

Hi everybody! My name is Vijay and I’m the “Chief Nosher” over at NoshOnIt, a daily email newsletter inspiring you to cook better each and every day with hand-picked recipes and expert cooking tips from amazing bloggers like Heather. I’m so happy to be guest posting over here today with a recipe that sounds complicated but is actually really easy.

I have to admit to you though, I’m not much of a dessert person. Trust me, I can scarf down a few cookies or a piece of cake like the best of them, but when it comes to being in the kitchen, I’m definitely more of an “on the stove” vs. “in the oven” kind of guy. Whenever I have friends over for dinner, I tend to put most of my efforts on the savory dishes and often struggle with a dessert that is delicious, homemade, and easy that I can make ahead…this panna cotta is exactly that! Panna cotta, or “cooked milk,” is a simple custard thickened with gelatin and flavored with whatever your palate desires. In mine, I use buttermilk in addition to cream for a bit of tang and add a healthy dose of lemon zest and fresh vanilla bean for added flavor. Then, I top it all off with a delicious and quick compote using strawberries and rhubarb. By making these in Mason jars, you can just keep them in the fridge until it’s time for dessert.

Every time I visit San Francisco’s Ferry Building I have a blast; there’s always something new to discover and, of course, my old favorites to stock up on. Needless to say, this past Saturday was no different. While I wandered off to Mariposa Bakery for a gluten-free (dairy-free, soy-free) bear claw, David hit up Prather Ranch Meat Company’s American Eatery across the hall.

If you’re in the mood for something other than your classic, top-shelf margarita or a refreshing glass of horchata this Cinco de Mayo, I highly recommend giving The Paloma a shot. A lively cocktail of freshly squeezed juices — grapefruit and lime — plus tequila (100% agave, of course), a spoonful of sugar and splash of seltzer, it’s quickly become my signature Spring-Summer 2013 drink — and I’m not even a much of a grapefruit fan!

This flourless, Piedmontese chocolate-hazelnut cake is something special. It’s basically akin to a rich, fudgey brownie with a whole lot of chocolate and hazelnut flavor thanks to a one-two punch of bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnut meal commingling in the batter, plus a layer of a popular spread (cough, Nutella) frosting the top. And it’s naturally gluten-free, so much to love!

I’m so excited to share one, err, or two, of my favorite ways to use the fantastic, gluten-free muesli from Bob’s Red Mill: homemade muesli granola AND granola, peach and yogurt parfaits! Their muesli is such a fantastic mix of oats, puffy rice crisps, nuts, dried fruit and more that you hardly need to add anything else to make a delicious, crisp, chunky granola that’s perfect to start the day or simply enjoy by the handful as a quick snack.

To say I’ve been on a bit of a fried potato kick lately is quite the understatement. Chips, fries, tator tots, puffs, you name it and I’ve found a way to incorporate it into the day’s eats — it was only a matter of time before potato pancakes were added to the mix. Now, I didn’t grow up eating (or making) latkes, so I certainly don’t consider myself an authority on the subject, but I think I’ve finally got a recipe down for my idea of the ultimate potato pancake.

As a black tea drinker — meaning no sugar or milk no matter the variety — I was skeptical of Starbucks’ line of tea lattes that came out, oh, about five years ago (do they even offer them still?). I ended up trying two (both were free with some promo coupons), and while the first was not at all memorable (or very good), I surprised myself by really enjoying the London Fog.

We’ve tackled pâte à choux in the past with éclairs and gougères — plus copious amounts of whipped cream, layered with chiffon cake and strawberries here — but I probably should have started with these. See, cream puffs are the simplest sweet application of the deceptively easy-to-make[-harder-to-pronounce] choux pastry that I know of, a good way to try your hand at a French classic. Plus they’re delicious.

We’re finally back in action ’round here (well, for the past couple weeks) and done with the massive kitchen overhaul. It’s been so nice having a kitchen sink and range after forty two drawn out days without. But enough about that, it’s time to get back to the important stuff: FOOD!

My absolute favorite part of winter — besides the occasional rainy day, which I’ve learned to love in place of snow — is the abundance of citrus. The variety of oranges to choose from is somewhat overwhelming with so many different colors and flavors to choose from, but it allows for an orange salad that pops with flavor instead of just being a boring orange salad whomp, wahhh. I wanted this salad to be layered both visually and in terms of flavors, so I chose three types: navel (orange, classic), cara cara (pink, sweeter) and moro blood (red, tart). But whatever you can get your hands on will work — tangerines, even a grapefruit or pummelo, I think — you can adjust the sweetness by varying the amount of citrus syrup used.