🔗 Share this article

My stance is that January still deserves a sweet treat. In a period typically filled with gloomy days, a spark of joy goes a long way. I'm not suggesting decadent, heavy desserts, but something like this light yoghurt panna cotta 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 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 ramekin of cool water. Leave them to soften for 5 minutes or so, until softened. Next, pour off the water and press out remaining moisture. Reserve for later.

Place in a pan, add the cream with the honey, vanilla paste, and salt. Warm over a low flame until warmed through but not boiling. Turn off the heat and add the softened gelatine until it is totally melted. Then, mix in the Greek yoghurt thoroughly. Divide the custard into four small glasses and refrigerate for a couple of hours, until solid.

While that chills, make the crumble. Heat the 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. Toss to blend. Add the melted butter and tahini, then combine well so everything is nicely mixed. Pour it onto the baking tray and place in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until nicely browned. Take it out, cool entirely, then break it up into rustic chunks.

For the bananas: using a saucepan, combine the honey with two tablespoons of water. Add the sliced bananas and heat until they begin to soften and the mixture becomes slightly syrupy. Take off the stove and set aside to cool.

For assembly, top each panna cotta on top of the custards. Sprinkle over the tahini crumble and dig in.