Last Updated June 15th, 2019 at 12:00 am by Lisa
Easy classic Famous Cheese Soup is so creamy, has simple ingredients, and extraordinary deep rich flavors. Serve hot with homemade Parmesan Croutons, it is love at first spoonful…
How To Make Famous Cheese Soup from The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas:
Instructions
- In a heavy pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, salt, and pepper. Next, add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cornstarch, cook another 3 minutes.
- Add chicken stock and heavy whipping cream gradually, blending until smooth about 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat down to medium-low, don’t allow soup to boil at any point.
- Add cubed cheese and grated cheddar cheese, stir until melted, about 5 minutes.
- Add parsley, cayenne, and paprika.
- Using an emersion blender stick, mix soup until smooth and creamy. (Or blend in a blender in small batches, and be careful it’s hot!)
- Simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes until it thickens.
- Serve in bowls or mugs with parmesan croutons.
Recipe Notes
Driskill Hotel’s variation: Use 1 pound grated Velveeta cheese in place of cheddar, and add white pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika to taste. Using Velveeta makes the soup thicker and the cheese easier to melt. Finely grate the cheddar cheese to melt properly for the soup. Source: This recipe is inspired by the Driskill Hotel, Austin, Texas. Driskill Hotel Recipe was adapted from the original recipe in “Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook” (Hougton Mifflin, 1957).
What Is the Story of this Famous Cheese Soup?
While on a culinary tour at a food conference, a large group of fun and friendly food bloggers and writers had lunch at The Driskill Hotel (Austin, Texas) in the 1886 Cafe and Bakery, inside The Driskill Hotel.
The Cheese Soup came highly recommended, so several of us ordered a bowl along with salads and sandwiches.
It really was love at first sip, and we all just couldn’t believe how good it tasted!
Of course, I jokingly, yet boldly asked our waitress for the recipe. The giggles and laughter bounced down the table, and then our waitress said, “Of course we can share the cheese soup recipe with you!” We all looked at one another in pure delight.
Once we received our copies, we again giggled that it had VELVETTA in it, but you know what? It is sooooo creamy and delicious!
But that isn’t the whole story, when I got home, I did some more research and learned that the original Cheese Soup recipe comes from Helen Corbitt.
Who is Helen Corbitt?
Well, Helen Corbitt served as the Culinary Director of the Driskill Hotel in the late 1950’s and later as the Head of Culinary Operations at Neiman Marcus.
She is an American chef, cookbook author, and award-winning pioneer of classic Texan Cuisine and is known as the “Julia Child” of Texas.
For over 40 years, Helen shared her gourmet cuisine in Texas finding new and unusual flavor combinations, and ingredients.
How Did Helen Corbitt Impact Texas Cuisine?
An early advocate of using the finest, freshest ingredients and in the years b.c. (before Corbitt), Texans had no artichokes, no fresh raspberries, no herbs except decorative parsley, only beef (chicken-fried, barbecued, or well-done), potatoes (fried or mashed and topped with cream gravy), and wedges of iceberg with sweet orange dressing.
President and Lady Bird Johnson were served at The Driskill Hotel, and adored Helen’s cuisine and took her recipes all the way to the White House. Today, Helen Corbitt’s Cheese Soup recipe is still on the 1886 Cafe and Bakery Menu for $4 per cup or $6 a bowl.
In her cookbook titled, Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook, Helen states,
“By far the most asked-for soup everywhere I have traveled is my Canadian Cheese Soup. My men, customers are mad about it. Where it comes from I do not know; it has been a part of my life so long it could have come with the stork.”
The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, was built-in 1886 as the showplace of cattle baron Jesse Driskill. Today, the hotel remains a legendary landmark in Texas hospitality offering its guests an elite level of luxury accommodations and services for more than a century.
What Toppings To Add To Cheese Soup:
- croutons
- popcorn
- grated cheese
- crumbled bacon
- breadsticks (grissini)
How To Make Parmesan Croutons:
1 baguette sliced thin on diagonal let slices sit 1 day to dry out
1/2 cup melted butter 1 stick
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
2-3 oz shaved parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cut the baguette into long diagonal slices about 1/4” thick. Set on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and dry overnight. This helps the croutons crisp and hold their shape.
- In a large ziplock bag, combine the baguette slices, melted butter, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. Set shaved parmesan aside for later. Shake the bag to coat the baguette slices.
- Spread the slices out on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, giving them space in between.
- Bake the bread 10 minutes until slightly golden brown and crisp.
- Flip over crouton shards and sprinkle shaved parmesan on top of each shard.
- Bake 5-10 more minutes until parmesan cheese melts and edges are golden brown.
- Serve with soup, salad, as a snack, or on a cheese board.
Recipe Notes
Plan ahead to slice the baguette and dry overnight to get the croutons nice and crisp
Full Recipe: Parmesan Crouton Shards go so well with Cheese Soup!
Helen Corbitt’s’ impact on Texas cuisine is extraordinary, and while I wrote this post I became so inspired by her love of food, cooking, and her story.
In fact, I got so excited I ordered one of her original print well-loved cookbooks called Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook. Austin is known as a food town, and this recipe became a favorite souvenir from my trip.
All The Best Dishes,
Lisa
XO
Famous Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced celery (6 small ribs)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 cups chicken stock 32 oz. box or a quart
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 pound cubed Velveeta
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (grate it, don’t use pre-grated or it won’t melt well!)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or fresh chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 paprika
Instructions
- In a heavy pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, salt, and pepper. Next, add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cornstarch, cook another 3 minutes.
- Add chicken stock and heavy whipping cream gradually, blending until smooth about 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat down to medium-low, don’t allow soup to boil at any point.
- Add cubed cheese and grated cheddar cheese, stir until melted, about 5 minutes.
- Add parsley, cayenne, and paprika.
- Using an emersion blender stick, mix soup until smooth, and creamy. (Or blend in a blender in small batches, and be careful it’s hot!)
- Simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes until it thickens.
- Serve in bowls or mugs with parmesan croutons.
Chelle says
March 10, 2018 at 7:20 PMCheeeeeese sooooup cooooma heaven! Love recipes from Texas, they are just sinful! This one delivers on that 100% – don’t hold back!