Pear And Candied Ginger Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, core and slice the pears about 1/2-inch thick. Put slices in a bowl and drizzle with lemon juice. Add the sugar and candied ginger and mix. Add flour and toss.

Roll out two crusts. Place one in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Brush surface of bottom crust with egg white to keep it from getting soggy from the filling.

Add filling. There will be extra juice at the bottom of the bowl of filling. Don't pour that into the crust. Cover with the top crust and pinch to seal. Cut several vents in the top crust.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn temperature down to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or until the filling bubbles over and the crust is golden brown. Remove to a rack and let it cool for 30 minutes before serving.

PIE CRUST: In a bowl, combine flour, shortening and butter, if using, and salt. With a pastry blender or two forks or your hands, cut and toss the ingredients until the fat is evenly distributed. (Break the fat into pea-size pieces.)

In a small bowl or a measuring cup, combine the egg, vinegar and cold water. Beat to combine, then add to dry ingredients. Mix quickly with a fork with a tossing motion until all the dry ingredients are moistened. You can roll this out right away or cover with a damp towel and let it rest in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. It behaves better when cool.

When ready to roll out, divide the dough into equal parts, depending on the size of the pie pans. Roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.