Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pie dough of your choosing. Roll the edges under and decoratively crimp.

Crumple parchment paper to make it more pliable, then gently line the inside of the chilled pie shell. Fill with pie weights or beans.

Bake in the preheated oven with weights for 15-20 minutes or until the edges have begun to brown and the sides of the crust no longer look doughy. If you remove the weight too early, then the sides will collapse anyways.

Since we are only partially baking the crust, you want to see some golden brown parts around the edges and bottom before you remove the pie crust from the oven. Remove the parchment and weights and set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.

In a large or medium saucepan, whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon zest.

Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly pour in the water, followed by lemon juice while whisking constantly. This reduces the likelihood of lumps and will help you get a smooth lemon custard.

Cook the lemon mixture over medium heat while whisking or stirring with a rubber spatula constantly. The custard will slowly thicken and then will eventually simmer and boil.

Allow the mixture to boil for 1-2 minutes over lower heat, then remove from heat and stir in butter.

Pour onto the prepared crust. The crust can be warm or at room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Dissolve cornstarch (for meringue) in warm water in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make French meringue by whisking the egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. You could also make it in a large bowl with a hand mixer.

Once all the sugar has been added, continue to beat on medium high speed until soft peaks form. Once the French meringue reaches soft peaks, slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture and continue to whisk un stiff peaks form.

Cover filling with meringue, swirl decoratively using the back of a spoon and bake 325°F, 15-20 minutes. The meringue will be a nice golden brown.

Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate at least 4 hours before slicing.