My favorite pie!!! Lemon Merengue Pie

It's definitely summer time in the south! Typical spring with a lot of baseball, a lot of real work and getting the garden started. While the garden is growing nicely and we are starting to get a few yummy tomatoes, that's just not what I'm craving right now.
Hot weather makes me want citrus. Tart, tangy, anything lemon is always good but today the craving led me to my favorite pie of all time. Lemon Merengue Pie!
I admit, I cheat just a bit. I don't make crust from scratch most of the time, it's not that I can't but I don't. I keep good gluten free crusts in my freezer, fast and easy. The remainder of the pie is totally homemade and wonderful. I could eat the whole thing by myself but I think I'll share a bit with the hubby and friends.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch or omit the flour and use 4 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water

2 lemons, juiced and zested

2 tablespoons butter

4 egg yolks, beaten

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

4 egg whites

6 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon Cream of Tarter

 DIRECTIONS:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

 To Make Lemon Filling:

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 small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

 To Make Meringue:

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add Cream of Tarter and sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Bake until lightly golden brown on top.