Q: When our daughter is home from college, we try to take her to her favorite restaurants. I would like to be able to surprise her with the recipe for one of her favorite foods so she can prepare it when she is not home. She loves the White Chocolate Crème Brûlée at Murphy's.

-- Laurie Bass, Roswell

A: John Hamstra (left), pastry chef at Murphy's, provides the recipe for this delicious custard, subtly flavored with white chocolate. The custard is baked in a water bath until firm but still quivering, and solidifies while chilling. It is topped with granulated sugar, which is caramelized with a kitchen torch. You can also use a broiler to caramelize the sugar; just watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Hamstra adds, "At Murphy's we use Belgium chocolate, but any other chocolate will do."

-- Jeanne Besser, for the Journal-Constitution

DESSERT

White Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Louie Favorite/AJC

Makes 9 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 2 or more hours to chill

Cooking time: 8-13 minutes

4 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped in small pieces

3/4 cup egg yolks (about 10 large), lightly beaten

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and 3/4 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently to prevent the sugar from burning.

Place chocolate in a bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk gently until all the chocolate melts. Slowly, add the warm cream mixture to the eggs, stirring constantly. Make sure that the liquid is not too hot before you add it or the yolks will cook too quickly. Pour mixture through a fine strainer.

Carefully fill 6-ounce ramekins with the mixture to just under the rim. Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Fill the pan halfway with warm water. Bake for about 45 minutes or until just set. The custard should jiggle slightly when shaken.

Cool in the refrigerator for two or more hours. Sprinkle with sugar to coat the top, and caramelize the sugar with a hand-held kitchen torch until brown and bubbly.

Per serving: 577 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 5 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 50 grams fat, 312 milligrams cholesterol, 49 milligrams sodium.

Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us what you're looking for and perhaps we can help you get it. If we succeed, we'll have the recipe tested and adapted for the home kitchen, if necessary. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, along with address and phone number, to: Mail: Betty Parham, Food Department, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303. E-mail: menu@ajc.com. Fax: 404-526-5509.