Preheat oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle position. Arrange six 4-ounce ramekins in a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
Prepare the vanilla bean by splitting the bean in half and scrape out the seeds with the non-cutting side of a paring knife
In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, vanilla bean pod, vanilla bean seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat, until it begins to simmer.
Once the cream begins to simmer, remove the pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes to allow the vanilla bean to infuse into the cream. PLEASE NOTE: If you’re replacing the vanilla bean with vanilla extract, skip this step.
When your cream is almost done infusing, separate your eggs. Place the yolks in a medium-sized mixing bowl; save the whites for another recipe or breakfast.
Whisk the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar into the yolks. Remember to whisk these a minute or so before you add them to the warm cream. Don't whisk them and set aside because the sugar binds with the water in egg yolks, which constricts the proteins in yolks and creates eggy lumps. LUMPY EGGS = THROW IT AWAY!
While whisking the yolks continuously, slowly add about 1/4 cup hot cream in a thin stream. Do this two or three more times. Continue whisking and slowly add the remaining cream to the egg mixture, followed by the vanilla extract.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a second mixing bowl and discard the vanilla bean pod.
Divide the custard between the ramekins, filling each one just up to the inner rim, or about three-quarters of the way full
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill the pan with the hot water until the water comes about two-thirds of the way up the side of the ramekins. Don't splash water into the custards.
Bake for 38 to 40 minutes. When they are ready, the crème brûlée will have a uniform jiggle in the middle; will spring back just a bit when you touch the middle. If the sides hold firm but the center sloshes, they aren’t quite done yet. If they look like Jello it's okay, they are just bit overbaked and can still be good. If they have risen in the middle then throw them out.
Remove from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the custards cool in the water about 5-10 minutes. You should be able to pick up the ramekin without burning your fingers.Once rout of the water bath, let each custard rest on the cooling rack for about 15 more minutes. Use a spoon to skim any bubbles off the top, then cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 4 days, before serving. When ready to serve, remove the custards from fridge. Sprinkle the surface of each custard evenly with about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. turn the custard as you sprinkle to make sure the sugar evenly coats the surface.Light your torch. Hold the flame about 4 inches from the surface of the sugar. Using a circular motion, move the flame across the surface. The sugar will begin to bead up, and then solidify into a hard sugar crust.Make sure all the sugar granules have melted, and the sugar has at least a tint of caramel color. don't let it go too dark. Remember the darker the color, the more bitter the topping. Sprinkle each of the custards with an additional teaspoon of sugar and brûlée the surface again. Cool for at 2 minutes, and serve within 20 minutes.