Preheat oven to 350°F

In a medium sized bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt. Mix with a fork until the mixture resembles a wet sand texture.

Pour the mixture into your prepared 9" spring form pan* or deep pie plate.

Use the bottom of a glass to evenly flatten out the graham cracker crust. (if you are using a pie plate, push graham cracker crust up the sides of the dish) If you are using a spring form pan, place it on a baking sheet prior to baking. This will catch any of the butter that may leak out.

Bake for 5 minutes and set aside to cool

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese. Beat on medium/high until the cream cheese is softened.

Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well to fully incorporate after each addition.

Once the eggs are fully combined add the sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Beat the batter on high speed until smooth and no clumps remain.

Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust and bake for 30 – 35 minutes. When the cheesecake is done, the center of the cheesecake should be slightly wobbly, but still sturdy, and the top should be just beginning to brown. Remove cheesecake from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

In a medium sized sauce pan combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Add the lemon juice, melted butter, egg, and egg yolks. Whisk until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Over medium/low heat, whisking consistently bring the mixture to a boil. It is very important that you do not stop whisking/stirring during this time.

Once the lemon curd is boiling stop whisking and let the lemon curd boil for 6-7 minutes, stir a few times during this boiling time.

Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly before pouring it over your cheesecake layer.

Very carefully and gently pour all of the lemon curd mixture over the top of your cheesecake.

Chill for a minimum of 2 hours before moving onto the next steps.

Preheat the oven to 375°F

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or using a hand mixer in a large bowl, add all of the egg whites. Whisk on high speed until eggs are frothy, white, and soft peaks begin to form.

Scoop the meringue over top of the lemon curd and use the back of a spoon to create the iconic peaks.

Bake for 10 minutes until the peaks turn a nice golden-brown colour or use a culinary butane torch to torch the top of the meringue.

Chill the prepared lemon meringue cheesecake for a minimum of 1 ½ hours before releasing the spring form pan and serving.