In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 9” spring form pan and up the sides a bit. Bake in a 350 F oven for 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar and whip until it forms stiff peaks. Pour the filling into the crumb crust. Spread evenly over the chilled crumb layer. Chill in the fridge until the cream cheese filling is set – at least 1 hour.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter.

Place egg yolks in a separate small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any cooked egg pieces. Place the mixture back on the heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly. Mixture will resemble a custard thickness. Remove from heat once it thickens.

Important: cool the custard slightly until it is no longer steaming but still warm.

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar and cream of tartar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Pour the lemon custard over your chilled cream cheese filling then top with the meringue. Use a spoon to create curls and peaks in your meringue. Return the cake to the fridge for another hour to set and chill again.

When you are ready to serve, use the broiler on your oven (5 minutes)or a kitchen torch to brown the meringue until light and toasty.