Mr. C. and I recently spent the day on Orcas Island. Mr. C. had been wanting to go on this one particular hike on Mt. Constitution for some time. So when a beautiful spring day presented itself, we jumped in the car and headed up to Anacortes to catch a ferry. While Mr. C. was playing mountain goat (I don’t do mountain goat hikes anymore), I drove into the big town of Eastsound and tried desperately to spend some of the kids inheritance on a piece of art, but nothing followed me out of a shop except a lemon coconut scone. And as it turned out, it actually wasn’t a lemon coconut scone. It was a blackberry scone. Thus begins my little tale of the pleasantries associated with rural life.
Since we retired from our jobs in Seattle and moved from the big city of Bellevue about 5 years ago to a rural setting, I have learned to truly appreciate how pleasant it is to be treated with respect by people working retail. Unlike what often passes for “customer service” in a city, most people who wait on the public in small towns actually treat their customers as friends. (How weird and refreshing is that?) And living on an island seems to further deepen that bond. There just seems to be something that happens to folks when they live on an island. People change gears, life slows down, and strangers aren’t assumed to be bad folk just waiting to do you wrong. And good customer service is rampant. I mean you can’t walk in a parking lot or into a store without someone saying hi or offering you an unexpected level of thoughtfulness. Which brings me back to scones. (Isn’t thoughtfulness always a natural progression to scones?)
Anyway, I had parked my car a couple blocks back from the town’s main drag which runs along the water in Eastsound. After slowly sauntering around town I realized I still had about an hour before I needed to pick up my weary hiker. So knowing that there would not be time to get dinner before we needed to catch our return ferry, I decided to go into a nearby coffee shop and fetch us a little nibble to tide us over until we reached Anacortes and the safety of a good hot late dinner. While I was in the shop buying my scone, I asked the nice proprietress where I could go to enjoy a view of the water while I read my book? I told her I wanted to leave my car parked where it was and walk. She directed me to a lovely place to sit and enjoy both the afternoon sun and the amazing water view. I thanked her for both the scone and the information and went on my merry way. Since my car was right there, I stashed the un-tasted scone in the car and started my long 3 block walk to my reading destination.
I was walking along the waterfront road (Main Street), when a gentleman on a bicycle peddles up to me and asked if I was the lady who had just bought a scone at Teezer’s? I said I was indeed that woman. He then preceded to hand me a scone explaining that I had been given a blackberry scone by mistake. I told him I didn’t have the other scone with me; that I had left it in my car. He said he didn’t want the wrong scone back. The shop keeper merely wanted me not to be disappointed when I realized I had not received what I had ordered. Now that my dear readers, is what I call fabulous customer service!
So next time I am on Orcas Island and need an espresso or a sweet, you can bet your last chocolate covered coffee bean that I will head directly to Teezer’s Cookies and Coffee House, 330 North Beach Rd., in Eastsound. And even though I enjoyed bites of both the scones, the lemon coconut scone was simply off the charts good. So of course, I had to recreate this fabulous scone at home. So in gratitude to the lovely folks at Teezer’s for both their superior customer service and baking skills, I dedicate this recipe and this post to them. And next time I’m in town, I will be stopping by to say hello. And yes, I will probably order another lemon coconut scone, because they are just that delightful. So if you ever find yourself on Orcas Island, in the charming little town of Eastsound, stop in at Teezer’s and tell them Patti sent you!
- 2 c. flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 4 T. cold butter, cut into small dice
- 2 T. vegetable shortening
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 c. toasted coconut*
- 3/4 c. whipping cream
- 1 egg
- lemon juice
- powdered sugar
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of your food processor. Whirl until mixed well. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse until butter broken down into small bits. (Don’t over process.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream and eggs. Stir in the lemon zest and toasted coconut. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined with a table knife. (One of the best stirring tools in your kitchen, by the way!) Dough will be very moist. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Pat dough out with your flour covered fingers into an 8×8-inch square. (Using a bench scraper dipped in flour works great to create straight sides.) Cut the dough into 16 pieces and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet fairly close together.(As the scones bake they will spread into each other.) Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Whisk about a tablespoon of lime juice with enough powdered sugar to make a semi-stiff frosting that can be drizzled easily. (I make my drizzle in a glass measuring cup with a spout. Makes drizzling frosting easy.) Add more lemon juice and/or powdered sugar if you feel you need more drizzle. Some people like just a tiny amount of drizzling frosting; others want almost all the top covered. Remember, you can always start small and make more drizzle as needed. Allow drizzle to harden before storing the scones in an airtight container.
*To toast coconut, place it on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place pan in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 6-7 minutes or until some of the flakes start to turn a nice golden brown. Watch carefully the last couple of minutes. Cool before adding to recipe.