A Taste of Bermuda: A Recipe for Lemon Bars

This overview of Bermuda – its geography, its culture, its people, and a recipe, too – was prepared by Ainsley Bossom while a Management student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Introduction

Bermuda is a small archipelago located in and surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean. This British overseas territory has many names, but is most commonly known as Bermuda. It is also referred to as The Bermuda Islands or Somers Isles. Most everything in Bermuda is imported, and some type of citrus is served at every meal. To emphasize their use of citrus, I chose to make Lemon Bars.


Country Information

Geographic Facts
Here are three geographic facts about Bermuda:
1. Bermuda consists of approximately 181 coral islands and islets with a total land area of 20.6 square miles and 64 miles of coastline, most of which are uninhabited.
2. Contrary to common belief, Bermuda is not located within the tropics. Bermuda’s climate is more truthfully described as Warm Temperate or Oceanic. Bermuda has a very humid climate and the temperature rarely drops much below 50°F.
3. Because of its location Bermuda is susceptible to hurricanes. Hurricanes are a natural hazard from June to November, as well as winter storms and gales from November to June.


3 “Serious” Facts
Here are three serious facts about Bermuda:
1. The island is one of the most northerly places where coral is found and the reefs are protected by law.
2. The only source of fresh water in Bermuda is rainfall, which is collected on roofs and stored in tanks. Each residence usually has at least one of these tanks as part of its foundation.
3. The Royal Naval Dockyard is a major cultural characteristic of the island. The fortifications were built out of local limestone by British convicts and Bermudian slaves after the American Revolution.


3 “Fun” Facts
Here are three serious facts about Bermuda:
1. Of the seven sea turtle species recognized in the world, Bermuda’s waters host five of them. Green turtles are the most plentiful.
2. It is one of the smallest territories in the world. Only Monaco and Gibraltar are tinier.
3. The only native mammals of Bermuda are five species of bats, all of which can be found in the eastern United States.

A “Potpourri” Item
Here are two unusual facts about Bermuda:
1. It is not possible to rent a car on the island; however, visitors can hire scooters for use as private transport, or use public transport.
2. Bermuda has pretty pink sand. Pink sand exists in only a few places in the world. The tropical coral reefs surrounding the south side of the island are home to millions of microscopic sea creatures called foraminifera. As their chalky, bright pink shells break off due to waves or passing fish, the colored particles wash ashore along with bits of coral, white shells and sand. This process results in the pink tone of the sand.

Food Information

Recipe

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Steps:
o Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan.
o Make the crust by combining the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers into a little flour or confectioner’s sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes.
o Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.

My Kitchen Story

Anything in the kitchen comes second nature to me, so making these lemon bars was a piece of cake. I didn’t run into any problems and there wasn’t much to it. The hardest thing about this whole experience was finding the little cupcake liners to put them in. It was a lot of fun baking a large batch for so many people.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Contact Info: To contact the author of “A Taste of Bermuda: A Recipe for Lemon Bars,” please email Ainsley.bossom@selu.edu.

David C. Wyld (dwyld@selu.edu) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/.

Originally published at A Taste of Bermuda: A Recipe for Lemon Bars

++++++++++++++++++++++