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It's my conviction that January still deserves a delightful dessert. During a month that can be gloomy days, a spark of joy goes a long way. This isn't about dense confections, but the likes of this light yoghurt panna cotta fits the bill perfectly. With a casual look, it might be mistaken for a fancy breakfast pot.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Tahini-Oat Topping

This recipe yields extra crumble mixture for this dessert. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container as a ready-made textured garnish 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

First, place the gelatine sheets in a ramekin of cold water. Leave them to soften for about five minutes, until pliable. Then, drain them and gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Put them to one side.

Using a small pot, combine the cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Warm over a low flame until steaming without letting it boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the prepared gelatine until it is completely dissolved. Vigorously whisk in the Greek yoghurt thoroughly. Spoon the blend into four small glasses and chill in the fridge for several hours, until solid.

While that chills, make the crumble. Preheat 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. Toss to blend. Incorporate the melted butter and tahini, then stir until coated so everything is well covered. Tip the blend onto the lined sheet and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven, allow to cool fully, then crumble it up into irregular pieces.

For the bananas: using a saucepan, gently heat the honey with two tablespoons of water. Put in the bananas and cook until they soften slightly and the mixture becomes like a glaze. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

To serve, spoon the warm bananas on top of the custards. Sprinkle over the tahini crumble and dig in.