Step 1

In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of heavy cream, vanilla bean, extract, or paste, and sugar.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to dissolve sugar.  Take off heat, cover with lid, and let steep for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Place eight 4 or 5-inch ramekins in a large baking dish or roasting pan.  Bring some water to a boil (this will be to put around the ramekins to slowly cook them).

Step 3

After the cream has steeped, stir in remaining 2 cups of heavy cream.  In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks together.  Slowly add small amounts of cream to the egg yolks and keep whisking.  Add remaining cream and stir.   Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Step 4

Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Carefully pour hot water into the baking dish making sure not to get any water into the ramekins.  Pour enough water into large baking dish to reach two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins.

Step 5

Bake for 33-40 minutes or until temperature reaches 175 degrees.  The centers will be barely set.

Step 6

Let cool for 2 hours at room temperature.  After cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.

Step 7

When almost ready to serve, sprinkled chilled creme brulees with about 2 teaspoons of sugar, evenly covering the tops.  Using a kitchen torch, let the heat dissolve the sugars and create an outer sugar shell. Once complete, return to refrigerator to chill for 30-40 minutes.