Lime Meringue Tarts

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 10-inch tart pan (with removable bottom) or 5-6 small tart pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.

For the crust:
In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, salt and butter. Mix thoroughly and then press it into the tart pan (or tart pans), making sure to cover entire bottom as well as sides. Press firmly so that crumbs adhere. Refrigerate shell for 30 minutes. Once chilled, bake shell for 8–10 minutes or until crust is brown and toasted. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF. To a medium saucepan, add lime juice, granulated sugar, eggs and heavy cream. Whisk to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly over medium-low heat, until liquid is thick enough to coat back of a spoon, about 9–10 minutes. Pour mixture into cooled crust and baked for 12–15 minutes, or until filling is just set. You can tell when filling has set when you touch the center. If it doesn’t stick to your finger, then filling is done. Let tart cool to room temperature and then transfer to freezer for 30 minutes.

For the meringue:
While tart is chilling, prepare meringue. Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. You will create a double boiler by placing bowl over a barely simmering pot of water (make sure water isn’t touching bottom of bowl). Whisk mixture constantly until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or you can use a handheld electric mixer). Whisk whites on high speed until medium peaks form. Stir in vanilla extract.

Spread meringue onto tart (or tarts), leaving edges uncovered. At this point you can brown the top with a kitchen torch or place in a 400ºF oven for 2–3 minutes or until brown on top. Serve immediately or chill until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!