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It's my conviction that the new year calls for a delightful dessert. During a month often characterised by gloomy days, a spark of joy is essential. Granted, I'm not after anything overly rich, but something like this creamy yoghurt-based dessert fits the bill perfectly. If you glance quickly, it might be mistaken for a decadent yoghurt bowl.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Tahini-Oat Topping

This recipe yields more crumble than needed for the panna cotta. Save the excess in an airtight container as a ready-made 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

First, place the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of chilled water. Leave them to soften for about five minutes, until pliable. Then, drain them and remove the extra water. Put them to one side.

Place in a pan, add the cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Heat gently until warmed through but not boiling. Turn off the heat and stir in the softened gelatine until it is totally melted. Incorporate the Greek yoghurt thoroughly. Pour the mixture into four small glasses and chill in the fridge for at least two hours, until firmly set.

Now for the crumble. Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Prepare a tray with baking paper. In a mixing bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together thoroughly. Incorporate the melted butter and tahini, then mix thoroughly so everything is well covered. Tip the blend onto the lined sheet and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until nicely browned. Once baked, let it cool completely, then crumble it up into rough bits.

For the bananas: in a small pan, gently heat the honey with two tablespoons of water. Add the sliced bananas and heat until they soften slightly and the mixture becomes a bit sticky. Take off the stove and set aside to cool.

Finally, top each panna cotta onto the chilled desserts. Add a generous topping of the tahini crumble and dig in.