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My stance is that the first month isn't complete without a delightful dessert. In a period often characterised by grey skies, a small indulgence is essential. Granted, I'm not after decadent, heavy desserts, but a dessert such as this creamy yoghurt-based dessert is absolutely perfect. At first sight, it resembles a decadent yoghurt bowl.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Tahini-Oat Topping

This recipe yields more crumble than needed for this dessert. Save the excess in an tightly-closed tub 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

Begin by putting the gelatine sheets in a ramekin of chilled water. Leave them to soften for 5 minutes or so, until they are soft. Next, pour off the water and gently squeeze out remaining moisture. 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. Remove from the heat and add the prepared gelatine until it is completely dissolved. Then, mix in the Greek yoghurt until well combined. Spoon the blend into individual ramekins and refrigerate for a couple of hours, until solid.

While that chills, make the crumble. Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Prepare a tray with parchment paper. Combine in a bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Incorporate the melted butter and tahini, then combine well so everything is nicely mixed. Spread the mixture onto the baking tray and place in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until crisp and coloured. Remove from the oven, allow to cool fully, then crumble it up into rustic chunks.

For the bananas: place in a pot, combine the honey with two tablespoons of water. Put in the bananas and cook until they begin to soften and the syrup thickens like a glaze. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

To serve, top each panna cotta on top of the custards. Finish with the tahini crumble and dig in.