Individual Key Lime Tarts

Ingredients

Tart Dough
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
1 cup Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups all-purpose flour*
Lime Curd
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (key or standard limes)
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
Meringue
6 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Cream butter until smooth, add powdered sugar and cream further. Add egg yolk, vanilla and salt, mix until well combined but not light and fluffy.
Combine flour and coconut in a food processor and mix until coconut is chopped very fine. (Without a food processor chop coconut fine using a knife.)
Add coconut- flour mixture all at once to the creamed mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
Press dough flat on a plastic food film lined cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator until firm enough to roll. About 1 hour or leave overnight.
Place tart pans or tart rings on a parchment lined cookie sheet and set aside.
This dough tends to become soft very quickly during rolling. Tip: place 2 cookie sheets filled with ice cubes on the area where you will be rolling dough. This will keep dough longer cool and make it easier to work. Using the least amount of flour during rolling will give the most delectable result.
Turn on oven at 375°F. Sprinkle the work surface with a small amount of flour and roll one third of dough 3-4 stacked credit cards thick. Cut dough into rounds about 2 fingers wider than the tart pan or tart ring being used.
Line dough into pans or rings and cut away excess on top. Press edges of dough upward using your thumb to extend the height of dough above tart pan about 1/8 inch. If dough gets sticky during any part of this process place dough and or partially made shells in freezer for several minutes.
When 5-6 tart shells are made, place in oven. After about 6 minutes of baking prick bottom of shells to prevent dough from baking upward. Bake until light golden and dough is pulling away from sides, about 18 minutes total. Let cool. Remaining dough can be rolled later for cut out cookies.
In a non reactive saucepan bring lime juice and half of sugar to a boil.
In a separate bowl whisk eggs for 1 minute and quickly whisk in remaining sugar. Pour half of boiling lime syrup into eggs and beat well.
Pour the egg mixture into the remaining lime syrup and whisk back to a boil. Boil for 45 seconds while constantly whisking and mixture has the consistency of thick bubbling honey. Remove from heat, cover with plastic food wrap and set aside for 5 minutes.
Add SOFT butter in small nuggets and stir with a spatula. If the butter was too cold and refuses to dissolve in the curd, place for a few seconds in the microwave.
Pour curd into baked tart shells and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour before making meringue.
Prepare a pastry bag or firm plastic food bag with a large plain piping tip and set aside.
For meringue, using a hand held whip combine egg whites, and sugar in a bowl and whip over low simmering water to 145°F. Remove from heat and continue whipping using a machine until meringue is thick, fluffy and is lukewarm or slightly cooler.
Fill meringue into bag and pipe a generous thick dollop in the center of the tarts.
Using a blowtorch brown the meringue, alternatively place tarts briefly under preheated broiler or in a 475°F oven .
Place in refrigerator. Tarts can easily be kept for 2-3 days.