Heat oven to 325°F. In 13x9-inch pan, place 6 (4-oz) broiler safe ceramic ramekins.
Cut vanilla bean in half, then scrape out seeds. Place seeds and pod in a small saucepan with cream, skim milk and sugar and heat until just below boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let cool until just slightly warm. (If using vanilla extract, you can heat to a lower temperature, just until sugar is dissolved.)
In small bowl, slightly beat egg yolks with wire whisk. Add cream mixture and stir until well blended. Strain into a pouring vessel. Pour cream mixture evenly into ramekins.
Carefully place pan with ramekins in oven. While in oven, pour enough boiling water into pan, being careful not to splash water into ramekins, until water covers two-thirds of the height of the ramekins.
Bake 25 to 40 minutes until the center of the custard is set but jiggly (it’s okay if sides are jiggly too as long as the center is set)
Carefully transfer ramekins individually to cooling rack—I found that lifting with a hamburger turner worked best. Refrigerate until chilled, approximately 2 hours.
Sprinkle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of brown sugar over each chilled custard. Place under pre-heated broiler to brown. Watch like a hawk to avoid burning (or fire).
Refrigerate until rechilled, 1-2 hours
Notes
If you like an "eggier" custard, you can use 6 egg yolksIf I don't have milk, I omit it and use 2 cups of whipping cream with 3 egg yolks. If halving the recipe, I have had success with 1 egg yolk and 1 cup of whipping cream (but I wouldn't go that low using anything less than full heavy cream).This can be made in the morning for a same-day dinner.
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.