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It's my conviction that January calls for a tasty finale. At a time typically filled with dreary weather, a little sweetness is essential. Granted, I'm not after decadent, heavy desserts, but a dessert such as this light yoghurt panna cotta is absolutely perfect. At first sight, it could easily pass for a fancy breakfast pot.

Creamy Yoghurt Custard with Banana and Tahini Crumble

This recipe yields extra crumble mixture for this dessert. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container for a handy crispy treat for future use.

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

Begin by putting the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water. Leave them to soften for 5 minutes or so, until they are soft. Next, pour off the water and press out the extra water. Set them aside.

Place in a pan, mix the whipping cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Heat gently until warmed through taking care not to boil. Turn off the heat and whisk in the prepared gelatine until it is totally melted. Then, mix in the Greek yoghurt until smooth. Pour the mixture into serving pots and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, until completely set.

While that chills, make the crumble. Set your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper. Using a large bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Pour in the melted butter and tahini, then stir until coated so everything is well covered. Spread the mixture onto the baking tray and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden brown. Take it out, let it cool completely, then break into pieces into rough bits.

To prepare the bananas: using a saucepan, warm the honey with two tablespoons of water. Put in the bananas and heat until they begin to soften and the syrup thickens a bit sticky. Remove from the heat and let it cool a bit.

For assembly, spoon the warm bananas onto the chilled desserts. Add a generous topping of the tahini crumble and serve immediately.