Being the good Canadians we are, my husband Mike and I
suffer from the occasional bout of Tim Hortons withdrawal.
For those readers who are unfamiliar with the institution
that is Tim Hortons, allow me to educate you: Tim Hortons is the largest
fast-food chain in Canada and it specializes in doughnuts, coffee and
sandwiches. It was founded by Canadian NHL hockey player Tim Horton in the
1960s and there is a Tim Hortons in virtually every Canadian city,
post-secondary campus, airport, community sports complex and corner gas station.
It’s known as Tims, Timmie’s, or Timmy
Ho’s, in various communities. Their ‘Rrrroll
up the Rrrrim to Win!’, ‘Camp Day’,
Double-Doubles, Timbits doughnuts and the Timbits hockey teams (both of my
nephews have started their hockey careers as Timbits, as well as NHL superstar
Sidney Crosby), and their many other marketing tie-ins are extremely popular
throughout my home and native land.
My Grandpa goes to the Tim Hortons in Olds, AB almost every
day to visit with whoever’s there. My father-in-law makes daily runs into the
Stettler, AB Tims for his large, black coffee. When we visit them, he often
brings me back a small pack of Timbits, which I have to hide from the dogs. The
chocolate ones are my favorite. Friends of mine swear the ultimate hangover
cure is a large order of Tim Hortons chicken noodle soup and Mike has a soft
spot for their iced-cappuccinos, no matter the outdoor temperature. I’ve often picked
up coffee and snacks for my friends and coworkers as fuel during report card
time, and almost every staff meeting or potluck lunch includes a box of Tim
Hortons doughnuts.
So you can see how we would miss it occasionally.
In the winter, Mike and I would often pick up two sausage
breakfast sandwiches, hashbrowns and orange juices on our way out to the cross
country ski trails. Admittedly, not the most healthy pre-skiing breakfast, but
it always hit the spot and gave us motivation to ski harder to burn it off.
The snow is scarce here in Le Plessis-Robinson, France
and so are the fast-food places, which is actually a really good thing. But not
when you’re missing a taste of home.
So we created our own, Homemade Tim Hortons Breakfast Sandwich and now you can too.
Ingredients:
-Half a pack of ground pork
-1/2 teaspoon each of paprika and cayenne pepper
-Cheddar cheese slices
-Eggs (1 per sandwich)
-Homemade dinner biscuits, which I made using butter
instead of shortening, from this good recipe
Prep:
1-Mix the paprika and cayenne pepper in with ground pork.
2-Shape the pork into small patties and grill on a hot
skillet.
3-Make the biscuit dough and cook them for 13-15 minutes,
as per the recipe. For a convection oven, set the initial time for 10
minutes and check them periodically to avoid burning. Allow them to cool a few minutes
before assembling the sandwiches.
4-Whisk the eggs individually and pour each egg into a
small, greased, microwave safe dish.
5-Microwave the egg on a low setting, and check/pause it
regularly to prevent mess and overcooking.
6-Slice the cooled biscuits in half and assemble the
sandwich. Our order was egg, cheese, meat, top.
7-Pour yourself a Double-Double or a glass of orange
juice and enjoy.
The result for us was a welcome taste of Canada on a
balmy, French winter day.
I’ll leave you to your sandwich making now, along
with one of my favorite Tim Hortons commercials, featuring Sid the Kid himself
and a nation of hockey-crazed Canadian folks.
Enjoy!
