Cooking With Carroll

by Michael Vyskocil   

Have you ever made four different types of stuffing and roasted a Thanksgiving turkey during a late August heat wave?

Has your kitchen counter ever been covered with pages of recipes marked in red ink with notes such as “change 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon” and “increase cooking time by 10 minutes”?

Twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have fathomed doing any of these things, but today, I can admit that my foray into the world of food writing — and all these experiences — wouldn’t have been possible without Carroll Magazine.

In the 20 years that I’ve contributed to the Taste department that you’ve been reading in every issue of this magazine, I’ve shared a few hundred recipes for everyday cooking and special occasions.

I’ve also visited and written about dozens of restaurants and food-focused small businesses from the northern to the southern end of Carroll County. They include fine-dining establishments, such as the newly opened Café Au Bouchon in Taneytown (April/May 2026 issue), and a Carroll County legacy business, such as Hoffman’s Ice Cream in Westminster (February/March 2008 issue).

I’m often asked where and how my interest in cooking and food began. I remember observing my parents in the kitchen, and as I grew older, I eventually started preparing food on my own. Growing up, I watched a lot of cooking programs on public television, learning many techniques from great chefs like Julia Child and Jacques Pépin.

Eventually, I started experimenting with ingredients and recipes, developing my own along the way. After graduating from college, I began contributing recipes to publications like the former Home Cooking magazine and the long-running Taste of Home magazine.

When the invitation to share my recipes with Carroll Magazine came my way, I saw it as an opportunity to connect readers across Carroll County through cooking. While some of the recipes published in these pages over the years are family recipes, many were developed for Carroll Magazine.

A few years ago, we at the magazine decided to broaden the scope of the Taste department and profile Carroll’s restaurants and food establishments. These stories gave us opportunities to introduce readers to diverse culinary personalities elevating the flavor profile of Carroll.

From soul food with Collision Course in Westminster (February/March 2025) to Saltwater Kitchen and Sushi in Mount Airy (April/May 2025), I learned so much from the fabulous chefs and food professionals working in and serving Carroll County.

Thank you, Carroll County, for reading and cooking along with me over all these years. I hope you enjoyed this Taste retrospective as much as I have enjoyed putting it together for you.

Keep cooking, Carroll!

Easiest Recipe to Prepare

Cherry Tomato Salad

I can’t really call this one a recipe. A sprinkling of fresh basil and Parmesan cheese and a drizzling of olive oil are all that’s needed to enhance the season’s ripest cherry tomatoes.

1. 1 pint ripe c herry or grape tomatoes
2. 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
3. Extra-virgin olive oil
4. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place about one dozen cherry tomatoes on each of four serving plates. Using your fingers, tear up the basil leaves and lightly sprinkle the torn leaves over the tomatoes. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with a handful of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Most Challenging Recipe to Prepare

Gingerbread Peppermint Trifle

This showstopper dessert is a multi-part recipe that took a lot of trial and error before it came together for publication. From the gingerbread cake base to the peppermint mousse and pudding, this trifle takes some careful preparation, but it’s something you’ll be proud to serve at a holiday party.

For the Peppermint Mousse:

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
14 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup coarsely chopped peppermint candies or candy canes

For the Pudding:

4 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
4 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Serving:

Gingerbread Cake
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped peppermint candies or candy canes

1. Make the peppermint mousse: Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Bring 1 cup heavy cream just to a boil in a small saucepan. Place white chocolate in a food processor. With machine running, pour in hot cream in a slow stream. Process cream and chocolate until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl set in ice-water bath. Let cool, stirring occasionally until mixture is thick enough to maintain ribbons on surface, about 20 minutes.
2. Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture; fold in candies. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thickened and slightly firm, about 6 hours. Make the pudding: Place chocolate in a large bowl; place a fine sieve over the bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream and egg yolks; add mixture to saucepan. While whisking constantly, cook over medium-high heat until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking, for 1 minute.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and pour mixture through sieve over chocolate in mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
5. To assemble: Spread one-third of the peppermint mousse into the bottom of a glass trifle bowl. Slice gingerbread cake into small squares and arrange squares on top of peppermint mousse. Top cake with half the pudding, then another third of the mousse. Place remaining cake squares on top of the mousse. Top with remaining pudding, then remaining mousse. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, beat remaining heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form. Top trifle with whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped candies. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Gingerbread Cake

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for buttering pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of ground cardamom
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
2 large eggs, room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine water and baking soda in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, spices and baking powder; set mixture aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and dark-brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Beat in molasses, crystallized ginger, baking-soda mixture and flour mixture until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares; dust tops with confectioners’ sugar. Serves 12.

Favorite Comfort Food/Family Recipe

Individual Chicken Pot Pies with Biscuit Topping

My mom really liked this dish when I first made it more than a decade ago. When the subject of winter comfort food came up as the Taste theme for the February/March 2012 issue, I knew we had to include this one.

For the Filling:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 celery stalk, strings removed, diced
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen, defrosted
2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup baby peas, fresh or frozen, defrosted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Biscuits:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup milk

For the Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, until onion becomes soft and translucent.
3. Whisk in chicken stock or broth; cook 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, sage, celery and corn, stirring to combine; cook about 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken and peas; cook 5 minutes more. Sprinkle in flour and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add milk and thyme leaves and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
   Divide filling among six 7-ounce ramekins or ovenproof bowls; set aside.

For the Biscuits:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Add milk; stir just until a dough forms. Drop dough onto chicken pot pie filling, using about 1/3 cup dough for each ramekin or bowl.
3. Transfer ramekins to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown and the filling is heated through. Serve hot. Serves 6.

Most unusual Recipe to Prepare

Homemade Dog Bone Treats

Why should humans alone be treated to something homemade from the kitchen? A pet-themed Taste article idea allowed me to make some tail-wagging treats no four-legged friend could refuse.

1 cup fine brown rice flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer’s yeast
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth, plus more for brushing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast and salt; set aside.
2. Place vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add stock and flour mixture alternately in three batches, beginning and ending with stock. Stir well to evenly combine.
3. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place a piece of parchment paper on a work surface. Turn out dough onto parchment and knead dough slightly for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Place a second piece of parchment over dough and roll dough to about 3/8-inch-thick. Use small and medium-sized dog-bone-shaped cookie cutters to cut out biscuits. If desired, spell your dog’s name or a message in the cutout shape using the point of a moistened toothpick. Transfer cutouts to prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps and repeat.
5. Bake dog treats for 8 minutes. Remove from oven; brush with stock, rotate baking sheets, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more, until lightly browned. Transfer dog treats to cooling rack and let stand at room temperature to dry completely, at least 2 hours. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Makes about 3 dozen small or medium-sized treats.