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My stance is that January still deserves a tasty finale. In a period typically filled with gloomy days, a spark of joy is essential. Granted, I'm not after 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.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Tahini-Oat Topping

You'll have a generous amount of topping for this dessert. Store the remainder in an airtight container to enjoy as a 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

Begin by putting the gelatine sheets in a little dish of chilled water. Let them sit for 5 minutes or so, until softened. Then, drain them and remove any excess liquid. Put them to one side.

In a small saucepan, mix the whipping cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Heat gently until hot without letting it boil. Turn off the heat and add the softened gelatine until it is completely dissolved. Incorporate the Greek yoghurt thoroughly. Pour the mixture into four small glasses and refrigerate for at least two hours, until completely 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. Combine in a bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Toss to blend. Incorporate the melted butter and tahini, then mix thoroughly so everything is well covered. Tip the blend onto the prepared tray and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until crisp and coloured. Remove from the oven, cool entirely, then crumble it up into rough bits.

For the bananas: using a saucepan, warm the honey with two tablespoons of water. Put in the bananas and simmer until they are tender and the syrup thickens like a glaze. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

For assembly, spoon the warm bananas on top of the custards. Add a generous topping of the tahini crumble and serve immediately.