These are favorite little "pies" that I make in the air fryer when I'm short on time. Using store-bought puff pastry, the little pies take only a few minutes to make. I used one apple and home-made rhubarb preserves that I had in my refrigerator. You can make your own preserves with fresh or frozen rhubarb (see below for a super simple version) or just buy rhubarb preserves at the market. Just be sure the preserves aren't too sweet. You want a bit of tartness to offset the sweetness of the apple. I left the puff pastry out on the counter to thaw while I put together dinner, then rolled out the pastry just a bit, cut 6 rectangles, spread on my fruit mixture, and rolled up the pies--puffs , really--jelly-roll style. I air fried the pies/puffs for 10-15 minutes, 3 at a time while we ate dinner. The pies smelled incredibly good while they cooked and came out hot, crunchy, and crying out for a bit of vanilla ice cream to cool them. The pies/puffs are wonderful when you're short on time and when you're not. The little pies/puffs also are great rewarmed in the air fryer the next day--assuming you have any left over, which you may not. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Apple-Rhubarb Pies -- Makes 6
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 cup of rhubarb preserves
Sugar for sprinkling
Roll the puff pastry out until it's about an inch longer on each side. Cut it into 6 rectangles. In a medium microwave-safe bowl or measure, combine the apple pieces, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and brown sugar and stir them well. Stir in the preserves. Microwave the mixture for a minute and stir it well. Microwave the mixture in 30 second increments, stirring after each stint in the microwave, until the apple softens and the mixture thickens. Yes, it should be the consistency of pie filling. Divide the filling among the rectangles and spread it out on the rectangles evenly. Roll each rectangle up, jelly-roll style, enclosing the filling. Pinch the edges a little to keep the filling in. Moisten the tops of the rolls with a little water and sprinkle a little sugar on top of each roll. Place the rolls on parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of your air fryer, plus an inch or two to help you place and lift the rolls. Air fry the pies, 2-4 at a time, depending on the size of your air fryer, at 360 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Let the pie/puffs cool for a few minutes before eating them. The filling will be hot! Feel free to cool the pie/puffs with a little ice cream, if you'd like.
Microwave Rhubarb Preserves/Sauce -- Makes About 1 Cup
1 1/2 cups of chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoons of water
In a medium microwaveable container (I use a glass quart measure) combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water. Microwave the rhubarb mixture for 2-3 minutes on high. Stir the mixture well. The rhubarb should have started to break down. Microwave the mixture again for another minute and stir it. My rhubarb has usually broken down by this point, but if yours hasn't, you can microwave it for another minute or so and stir it again. The mixture will be fairly thin but will thicken up as it cools. You can use the preserves/sauce for the recipe above, on breads, on ice cream, cakes, etc....enjoy!