Classic peach melba shortbread bars

A PIE is not something most of us can whip up on a whim. And let’s be honest, it’s not the easiest thing to make, either. (If you disagree, you are welcome in my kitchen any time.)

So what to do when the craving for a buttery crust and fruit filling strikes? One-bowl shortbread bars to the rescue.

You probably have most of the necessary ingredients. The base crust is fuss-free, quick to assemble – no worrying about keeping it flaky – and meltin-your-mouth tender. It also doubles as a crumb topping.

Using preserves for the filling is a short cut that works for this (but not for pie).

Peach Melba is a classic peach-and-raspberry dessert named after Dame Nellie Melba, a famed opera singer from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (you may remember her as a character in a Downton Abbey episode).

The two preserves make a colourful sweet-and-tart combination, but you can use whatever flavours you like or have on hand. Feel free to experiment with different nuts, too.

Make Ahead: The bars will keep for five days at room temperature, layered between wax paper in a tightly closed container.

One bowl and 20 minutes of work gets you this buttery, jammy, crunchy dessert.

Servings: 16 bars Ingredients 2 cups flour ½ cup sugar ¼ tsp salt 16tbs (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10cm cubes 1cup peach preserves 3 tbs raspberry preserves ½ cup sliced almonds

Method Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Press a long piece of aluminium foil into a 23cm square pan to create a sling, leaving several inches of overhang on two opposite sides so you can use it to pull the bars out of the pan later.

Generously grease the foil with cooking spray as this will help release the sticky edges of the cooked jam after the bars are baked.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.

Use a food processor or your clean, cool hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture for the crumb topping.

Press the remaining crust mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Bake (middle rack) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and spread the peach preserves over the hot crust.

Now spoon small amounts of the raspberry preserves around the dish.

Sprinkle the reserved crumbly crust mixture over the filling, making sure to cover most of it, then scatter the almonds on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the topping starts to turn golden brown and the almonds are fragrant and lightly browned.

Allow to cool (in the pan) on a wire rack for 1 hour, then remove the slab using the foil sling and cut into 16 bars.

Nutrition: Calories: 260; total fat: 13g; saturated fat: 7g; cholesterol: 30mg; sodium: 45mg; total carbohydrates: 35g; dietary fibre: 1g; sugars: 19g; protein: g. – The Washington Post