• Put cream (and vanilla bean or anything else you're steeping in it) and half the sugar in a heavy saucepan.
• Whisk yolks, salt and rest of sugar together thoroughly in a stainless steel bowl. Do not leave out the salt. Please. If you do, your creme brule will taste flat and dumb instead of complex and amazing.
• Bring cream mixture to a simmer. Turn off heat and let whatever you're steeping steep for 30 minutes, otherwise, just keep going.
• If you've steeped something, bring the cream back up to a simmer and temper into the yolk mixture. Whisk thoroughly. It is not necessary to put the mixture back on the heat since you'll be cooking it more in the oven. If you can't help yourself and you put it back on the heat and stir until it thickens, it won't work. The eggs will have thickened as much as they can. The best you'll be able to do is get a skin on top of what is now basically Creme Anglaise. Nasty.
• Strain your mixture into a bowl placed in an ice bath and cool quickly. Add extracts at this time.
• Chill custard overnight. This is not strictly necessary, but it will give you a better, creamier finished product. If you don't have the time, just keep going; it's up to you.

Day Two (or just later)

• The next day, arrange your little ramekins in a large roasting pan with a tea towel in the bottom. Don't let your ramekins touch.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees, F. at a higher temperature, but again, your finished product will be better if you do it slowly. If you have the time, you can even go with 250F.
• Carefully fill your ramekins almost to the top with the custard. If there are any bubbles on top, pop them with your torch. This is fun, plus, your end product will look better without any bubbles to mar the top before torching.
• If you have the time, let the custards sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. If not, just keep going.
• Pull out your oven rack, set roasting pan with filled ramekins on the rack, then slowly pour in hot water. There will be less chance of splashing if you pour onto the towel. (It is also there for extra insulation).
• Bake until custards are set but still shimmy just a bit. The whole surface of the custard should move as one with no waves or wiggling. This will take a long time, so check them after 40 minutes and then go from there. In a conventional oven 300 degrees, it takes 45-50 minutes. At 250F, it could take over an hour.
• Creme brulee is done when they reach an internal temperature of 165F. Another way to check is to carefully shake the ramekins. When they're done, they'll shimmy without rippling. Think soft-set Jello and not water.
• Remove them from the water bath and let cool for an hour at room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered overnight or up to 2-3 days. (Cover them once they are refrigerator temperature). This should help with any nasty condensation that could inhibit caramelization. NOTE: The safest way to remove them from the hot water is to carefully shove a spatula under each ramekin and move it carefully to a cooling rack.

To Brûlée

• Remove the custards from the refrigerator and check for condensation. If you see any, blot it off with a lint-free towel of some sort.
• Sprinkle a relatively thin layer of granulated sugar evenly over the surface of the custard. Tilt each one to evenly distribute the sugar and pour the excess over the next ramekin of custard.
• Hold the flame of your torch a couple of inches from the custard, constantly moving it in even little circles to melt the sugar evenly, then brown it evenly. If your flame is too hot or too close to the custard, you'll end up with carbon on top of granulated sugar, and that's not at all what we're going for here. Keep your torch moving and don't get too close to the surface of the custard, and you'll be fine.
• If you'd like, you can brûlée in two layers. Sprinkle on a second layer of sugar, and repeat the previous step. Work quickly so the bottoms of the custards stay cold.
• Let sit for a minute or two for the caramel to harden into the characteristic crisp shell, then serve. Heaven.