Preheat oven to 325°F.

Split vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife and scrape along the inner walls of the bean to extract the flakes of bean paste.

Place bean paste, vanilla bean shell, cream, and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Stir then remove from heat. Cover with a lid and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

Remove the bean pod and discard.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar until yolks pale in color and mixture thickens slightly.

Slowly ladle the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. If the cream is still quite warm, you are tempering the egg yolks so they don’t scramble while adding the hot milk mixture. Once you have added a ladle or two of cream, you can pour the remaining cream into the egg yolks and whisk to fully combine.

Divide mixture between 6 ramekins.

Place ramekins on a large baking dish (like a 9x13).

Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish (do not splash into the ramekins) to fill up to halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake approximately 40-45 minutes, until the creme brulee is set, but jiggles slightly in the center.

Remove from oven and cool until the water in the pan reaches room temperature.

Transfer ramekins to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle a thin layer of caster sugar over the tops of the creme brulee. Use a kitchen torch held several inches from the surface to melt and caramelize the sugar crystals. Add a second layer of sugar and repeat, if desired.

Allow the ramekins to set for 2-3 minutes, then serve.