Chicken, Bacon, and Apricot Pies

Preparing the Filling (1 hour)

1. Cube the dried apricots and chop the onion.  Rinse and pat dry the thyme, then pull off the leaves until you have ¼ cup (6g) of leaves.  Grate the lemon zest and measure out the salt and pepper.
2. Cut the bacon slices into small pieces, then cube the chicken in small chunks.  Place the meat in separate bowls, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Shaping the Hand Raised Pies (25 minutes + 20 minutes chilling)

1. Line a 9 by 13-inch rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper, then very lightly oil the outsides of four clean 6-ounce (177 ml) glass canning jars.
2. Divide the still warm hot water crust pastry into four equal pieces.  Cut a small chunk off each piece and set aside to make the lids.
3. Roll out one of the larger pieces of pastry to make a 6 or 7 inch circle.  Place the jar in the center of the circle and bring the pastry up around its sides.  Flatten out the creases with your hands, then lay the jar on its side and roll it back and forth to smooth out the pastry.  Try not to make the pastry too thick, but make sure there are no holes.  Repeat with the remaining jars.
4. Roll the four smaller pieces of pastry into circles a little larger than the mouths of the jars, then cut a ½ inch hole in the center with a piping nozzle.  This will allow you to pour in the stock later.
5. Chill the pastry-wrapped jars and lids for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil.
6. Once the pastry has chilled, trim off the excess pastry to give each pie a flat top.  Fill one of the jars with boiling water, then gently loosen the pastry with a knife and carefully pull the jar out of the pastry.  Repeat with the remaining jars.  Be careful not to let the hot water sit in the pastry-wrapped jars for long, or the pastry will become very soft.

Filling & Crimping the Pies (20 minutes + 50 minutes baking)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Toss the chicken with the lemon zest and half of the thyme, salt, and pepper.  Add the remaining seasonings to the bacon and mix until well blended.
3. Layer the filling in each pie as follows: bacon, onion, chicken, apricot, bacon, onion, chicken.  Make sure the filling goes all the way to the edges of the pie, and be careful not to overstuff.  You will probably have extra filling.
4. Brush the rims of the pies with beaten egg, then place the pastry lid on top.  Pinch the edges gently to seal.  Decoratively crimp the edges by placing your thumb and index finger on top of the edge about ½ inch apart.  Push the index finger of your other hand in between the gap to make a bump.  Repeat all the way around each pie to create a ruffled edge.  Brush the tops with beaten egg.  It's okay if the egg drips down the sides.
5. Bake at 400 F for 50 minutes, until the pastry is a rich golden brown and the pies have an internal temperature of at least 170 F.  Place them on a wire rack and let them cool for 10 minutes.  If you're not adding the chicken stock/gelatin mixture, skip the next steps and serve them warm or cold.

Adding the Chicken Stock Jelly (Optional) (10 minutes)

1. Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat until quite warm.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over ¼ cup cold water and mix to combine.  Let stand for 5 minutes, then add to the warm stock and stir until dissolved.
3. After the pies have cooled for 10 minutes, pour the stock into the hole on top with a funnel until each one is full to the top.  The filling will absorb the stock, so check them in a minute or two and continue to add the stock until they are full.
4. Let them cool on the counter for a couple hours, then cover and refrigerate for 8 hours to allow the jellied stock to set.
5. Serve cold and cut in half.