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It's my conviction that the new year still deserves a tasty finale. During a month that can be grey skies, a little sweetness goes a long way. This isn't about decadent, heavy desserts, but something like this light yoghurt panna cotta hits the spot. At first sight, it might be mistaken for a fancy breakfast pot.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Tahini-Oat Topping

This recipe yields more crumble than needed for this dessert. Keep the leftovers in an tightly-closed tub to enjoy as a 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

Soak the gelatine sheets in a little dish of cold water. Let them sit for about five minutes, until softened. Then, drain them and gently squeeze out the extra water. Reserve for later.

Place in a pan, mix the whipping cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Heat gently until steaming but not boiling. Turn off the heat and whisk in the squeezed gelatine until it is totally melted. Then, mix in the Greek yoghurt until well combined. Pour the mixture into serving pots and refrigerate for several hours, until firmly 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 parchment paper. Combine in a bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together thoroughly. Incorporate the melted butter and tahini, then combine well so everything is nicely mixed. Spread the mixture onto the prepared tray and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until crisp and coloured. Once baked, let it cool completely, then break it up into irregular pieces.

Next, cook the bananas: in a small pan, warm the honey with two tablespoons of water. Add the sliced bananas and cook until they begin to soften and the mixture becomes slightly syrupy. Take off the stove and allow to cool slightly.

To serve, top each panna cotta on top of the custards. Sprinkle over the tahini crumble and serve immediately.