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It's my conviction that the new year still deserves a tasty finale. During a month typically filled with gloomy days, a small indulgence goes a long way. Granted, I'm not after decadent, heavy desserts, but something like this refreshing set custard fits the bill perfectly. At first sight, it could easily pass for a fancy breakfast pot.

Creamy Yoghurt Custard with Banana and Tahini Crumble

This recipe yields a generous amount of topping for the panna cotta. Store the remainder in an airtight container 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 small bowl of cold water. Let them sit for roughly 5 mins, until softened. Next, pour off the water and gently squeeze out remaining moisture. Set them aside.

Place in a pan, 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 squeezed gelatine until it is completely dissolved. Incorporate the Greek yoghurt thoroughly. Divide the custard into serving pots and refrigerate for several hours, until completely set.

While that chills, make the crumble. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Prepare a tray with greaseproof paper. Combine in a bowl the oats, flour, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together thoroughly. Add the melted butter and tahini, then mix thoroughly so everything is nicely mixed. Tip the blend onto the prepared tray and place in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven, let it cool completely, then crumble it up into irregular pieces.

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

For assembly, divide the banana mixture on top of the custards. Add a generous topping of the tahini crumble and dig in.