Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly dust a large cutting board (or flat, clean surface) with all-purpose flour

Unroll thawed pie crust dough onto the floured surface and roll with a floured rolling pin until ~⅛” thick (note: with premade dough, minimal rolling will be needed for the first round, but will be required when using the scrap pieces)

Use a circular cookie cutter or knife to cut out a disc of dough that is about 1” bigger than your tart pans. Ball up the scraps of dough, roll into a ⅛” thick sheet, cust additional discs.

Press a disc of dough into the bottom and side ridges of each tartlet pan. Use the rolling pin to gently roll over the top edge of the pan to slice off the excess dough.

Use a fork to poke holes across the bottom of the tart shell.

Place a square of aluminum foil into each tart pan, gently pressing it flat against the bottom and sides. Fill the well with pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are lightly browned and the tart shells are fully cooked (if they look wet or doughy, continue to cook).

Remove the aluminum foil and pie weights, and allow the tart shells to cool at least 10 minutes before removing from the tart pans onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Place cubes of butter into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Continuously whisk the lemon curd ingredients over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a curd consistency (about 10-15 minutes).

Place a fine-mesh strainer over the medium bowl holding the cubes of butter and transfer the lemon curd mixture into the strainer. Gently press the filling against the sides of the strainer with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper to help remove any lumps that may have formed (this will give you the silkiest lemon curd!)

Stir the strained lemon curd filling and the butter together until all of the butter has melted.

Let the lemon curd cool to room temperature.

Once the lemon curd has cooled to room temperature, divide the filling between the tart shells

Chill the tarts in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight) to set

Place about 1” of water into a small pot (or bottom section of a double broiler) and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

When the water is simmering, place the bowl on top of the pot to create a double-broiler, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

Continuously whisk the egg and sugar mixture until the sugar has dissolved (about 4 minutes).

Note: you can check if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a small amount of the mixture between your fingers. If there is any grittiness, continue to cook to fully dissolve until the mixture is completely smooth.

Note: if it sounds like the water is starting to boil during this process, turn the heat down to medium-low.

Remove the bowl from the pot and carefully dry off the outside with a towel. Add in the vanilla extract and transfer the mixture to a stand mixer(or use an electric hand mixer) and beat on high until stiff peaks form (about 5-7 minutes).

Set your oven’s broiler to high.

Spoon the meringue onto the tarts and gently spread the meringue close to the edges.

Place all tartlet pans onto a cookie sheet, and put into the oven to lightly toast. Remove the baking sheet of tart pans from the oven as soon as the meringue is lightly browned (about 1-2 minutes)

Note: keep a close eye on your tarts when they are under the broiler! They can go from a beautiful light brown to charred really fast.

Serve and enjoy immediately after the meringue has been toasted