🔗 Share this article

My stance is that January still deserves a sweet treat. At a time often characterised by gloomy days, a spark of joy is essential. Granted, I'm not after dense confections, but a dessert such as this light yoghurt panna cotta fits the bill perfectly. If you glance quickly, it resembles a decadent yoghurt bowl.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Tahini-Oat Topping

You'll have 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 little dish of cool water. Allow them to soak for 5 minutes or so, until softened. Then, drain them and gently squeeze out remaining moisture. Set them aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Cook on a low heat until hot taking care not to boil. Take the pan off the stove and stir in the prepared gelatine until it is completely dissolved. Then, mix in the Greek yoghurt until well combined. Divide the custard into serving pots and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, until completely set.

Meanwhile, prepare the crumble. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper. In a mixing 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 evenly coated. Pour it onto the baking tray and place in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until nicely browned. Take it out, let it cool completely, then break it up into irregular pieces.

To prepare the bananas: using a saucepan, combine the honey with two tablespoons of water. Put in the bananas and cook until they are tender and the mixture becomes a bit sticky. Remove from the heat and let it cool a bit.

For assembly, divide the banana mixture onto the chilled desserts. Sprinkle over the tahini crumble and enjoy straight away.