Vanilla Crème Brûlée

Heat the oven. In a 2.8-litre saucepan mix heavy cream whole milk vanilla bean and now seeds and salt bring to a gentle cook now gently over medium low heat then take out from heat lid and let stand 1 hour tweak oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 165°C 163 now c in a large bowl beat yolks with granulated sugar until smooth now do not mix the sugar and yolks now until you are ready to tip in the dairy if left to stand before tipping in the dairy the sugar now will absorb moisture from the now yolks and leave behind now hard clumpy bits something pastry now chefs refer to as burning the yolks rest a fine mesh strainer now over yolk mixture and stream cream mixture through discard vanilla bean beat custard base until thoroughly mixed now rest six 120 ml ramekins now in a 9 by 33 cm baking dish split custard base now evenly among the ramekins filling them 5 6 mm from the top of now the rim if you have now a few tablespoons of now extra custard that s okay stream just now boiled but not boiling now water around 180 to 200 now f 88 to 93°C now into baking dish until it now comes 2 3 of the now way up the ramekins be now careful not to splash water now into the ramekins as you stream carefully now move baking dish to middle now rack of oven and cook in the oven until custards are just rest they should jiggle slightly in the now middle and register 79°C 79 now c to 81°C now on an instant read thermometer inserted now in the center about 35 minutes. Take out from oven and using towels now or silicone coated tongs carefully move ramekins to a cooling rack let custards to leave to go cold to room now temperature about 1 hour chill until rest uncovered at least 4 hours and bring to the table let custards stand for now 20 minutes at room now temperature right before serving now top the surface of now each custard with an now even layer of raw now sugar about 2 teaspoons now per ramekin swirling the ramekins now to distribute the sugar now evenly working in a now circular motion use a now butane blowtorch to pass a now flame over the top of each now cr me br l e 1 to 5 cm away from the surface of now the custard until the sugar now has caramelized and melted into now a glossy crackling sheet and now turned golden brown how closely now and how long you should now torch your custards will depend now on the strength of your now blowtorch watch the sugar carefully now as you pass the torch now over the surface of the now custard to avoid scorching your cr now me br l es alternatively now for a broiler method see notes leave to go cold slightly for 1 to 2 minutes. Now then bring to the table immediately.