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My stance is that January calls for a delightful dessert. At a time that can be grey skies, a spark of joy is essential. Granted, I'm not after dense confections, but a dessert such as this light yoghurt panna cotta fits the bill perfectly. At first sight, it resembles a decadent yoghurt bowl.

Creamy Yoghurt Custard with Tahini-Oat Topping

This recipe yields a generous amount of topping for this dessert. Keep the leftovers in an sealed jar as a ready-made crispy treat another time.

Prep: 5 minutes
Chill: 2 hours minimum
Cook: 50 minutes
Serves: 4

For the Panna Cotta

• 2 sheets of gelatine
• 300g of whipping cream
• 60g of honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
• A pinch of salt
• 300g of Greek yoghurt

For the Tahini Crumble

• 80g of jumbo oats
• 50g of plain flour
• 40g of light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
• A pinch of flaky sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 50g of melted unsalted butter
• 30g of tahini
• 2½ tablespoons of honey
• 2 small bananas, sliced

Method

Soak the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water. Let them sit for 5 minutes or so, until softened. Afterwards, discard the water and gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Set them aside.

In a small saucepan, mix the whipping cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Cook on a low heat until warmed through but not boiling. Turn off the heat and stir in the squeezed gelatine until it is completely dissolved. Vigorously whisk in the Greek yoghurt thoroughly. Divide the custard into individual ramekins and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, until firmly set.

Meanwhile, prepare the crumble. Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Add the melted butter and tahini, then combine well so everything is well covered. Pour it onto the lined sheet and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until crisp and coloured. Take it out, cool entirely, then crumble it up into irregular pieces.

For the bananas: in a small pan, combine the honey with two tablespoons of water. Stir in the banana slices and simmer until they begin to soften and the syrup thickens slightly syrupy. Take off the stove and allow to cool slightly.

For assembly, spoon the warm bananas over the set panna cottas. Finish with the tahini crumble and enjoy straight away.