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It's my conviction that the first month still deserves a delightful dessert. At a time that can be gloomy days, a spark of joy goes a long way. Granted, I'm not after decadent, heavy desserts, but something like this refreshing set custard is absolutely perfect. At first sight, it resembles a decadent yoghurt bowl.

Creamy Yoghurt Custard with Banana and Tahini Crumble

This recipe yields more crumble than needed for four servings. Store the remainder in an tightly-closed tub as a ready-made crunchy snack another time.

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 chilled water. Allow them to soak for about five minutes, until pliable. Next, pour off the water and remove remaining moisture. Put them to one side.

In a small saucepan, add the cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Cook on a low heat until steaming taking care not to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatine until it is totally melted. Vigorously whisk in the Greek yoghurt until smooth. Pour the mixture into serving pots and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, until completely set.

While that chills, make the crumble. Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Prepare a tray with baking paper. Using a large bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together thoroughly. Add the melted butter and tahini, then stir until coated so everything is well covered. Tip the blend onto the lined sheet and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until crisp and coloured. Once baked, let it cool completely, then crumble it up into rough bits.

For the bananas: place in a pot, warm the honey with two tablespoons of water. Stir in the banana slices and simmer until they are tender and the syrup thickens like a glaze. Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit.

To serve, top each panna cotta onto the chilled desserts. Sprinkle over the tahini crumble and enjoy straight away.