Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Use the tip of the knife to scrape the seeds out.

In saucepan combine the vanilla bean, the scraped seeds, 2 cups of heavy cream, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once at a boil, remove from heat, over and let steep for 15 minutes.

Line a large baking dish or roasting pan with a towel or wash cloth. Set 8 ramekins on the towel, making sure they don't touch. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

After the cream mixture has steeped, stir in remaining 2 cups heavy cream.

In a large bowl whisk egg yolks together until smooth and uniform in color. Whisk about 1 cup of cream mixture into the yolks until combined. Repeat with 1 more cup of cream. Add the rest of the cream, and mix until smooth and well blended.

Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard any solids in the strainer.

Divide the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Set the baking dish in the center of your oven.

Pour boiling water into the dish, about 2/3rd of the way up the ramekins (be careful not to get any water in the cream mixture).

Bake for 20-35 minutes, depending on the size and depth of your ramekins. The center should just barely be set, almost like jello. A thermometer should read 180 degrees.

Remove from the oven, and transfer ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 2 hours. Cover and set in the fridge until cold, 4-6 hours.

To serve, sprinkle about 1 1/2 tsp of sugar over the custard. Rotate to evenly distribute the sugar. Ignite the torch and caramelize the sugar.

Rechill for 20-30 minutes before serving.