Crème brûlée

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).

In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and vanilla bean (both pod and seeds). Heat over medium heat until just simmering, then remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt until pale and slightly thickened.

Slowly whisk the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any solids.

Pour the custard mixture into the ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins (creating a water bath).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the custards are set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center.

Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool completely at room temperature. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar evenly over the top of each custard.

Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until it is golden brown and bubbly. If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can place the ramekins under the broiler for a few minutes, watching very closely to prevent burning.

Let the caramelized sugar cool and harden for a minute or two before serving.