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I firmly believe that January calls for a tasty finale. At a time that can be grey skies, a spark of joy goes a long way. I'm not suggesting anything overly rich, but the likes of this light yoghurt panna cotta hits the spot. If you glance quickly, it resembles a decadent yoghurt bowl.

Creamy Yoghurt Custard with Tahini-Oat Topping

Prepare a generous amount of topping for the panna cotta. Store the remainder in an sealed jar for a handy crispy treat later on.

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 little dish of chilled water. Let them sit for about five minutes, until softened. Then, drain them and gently squeeze out remaining moisture. Put them to one side.

Place in a pan, add the cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Heat gently until warmed through without letting it boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the squeezed gelatine until it is totally melted. Incorporate the Greek yoghurt until well combined. Spoon the blend into four small glasses and chill in the fridge for several hours, until solid.

While that chills, make the crumble. Set your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Combine in a bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Add the melted butter and tahini, then stir until coated so everything is well covered. Spread the mixture onto the lined sheet and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until nicely browned. Once baked, allow to cool fully, then crumble it up into irregular pieces.

For the bananas: using a saucepan, warm the honey with two tablespoons of water. Add the sliced bananas and heat until they begin to soften and the syrup thickens a bit sticky. Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit.

Finally, spoon the warm bananas over the set panna cottas. Sprinkle over the tahini crumble and serve immediately.