Preheat the oven to 325 degrees 

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once you see tiny bubbles appearing around the rim Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 2minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Strain the custard mixture to avoid any cooked eggs. Pour the liquid into 6 butter coated ramekins

Place the ramekins into a  roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still giggles in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan set aside until it reaches room temperature cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days