Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place a paper towel on the bottom of a large baking dish or roasting pan and arrange eight 4- to 5-ounce ramekins (or shallow fluted dishes) on the towel; set aside. Bring a kettle of water to a boil over high heat.
2
Combine 2 cups of the cream, granulated sugar, and salt together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and add vanilla extract.
3
Stir in the remaining 2 cups cream to cool down the mixture. Whisk the yolks together in a large bowl until uniform. Whisk about 1 cup of the cream mixture into the yolks until loosened and combined; repeat with 1 more cup of the cream. Add the remaining cream and whisk until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a 2-quart measuring cup or pitcher, discarding the solids. Pour or ladle the mixture evenly into the ramekins.
4
Gently place the baking dish with the ramekins on the oven rack. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish, being careful not to splash any water into the ramekins, until the water reaches two-thirds the height of the ramekins. Bake until the centers of the custards are just barely set and are no longer sloshy, and a digital instant-read thermometer inserted in the centers registers 170 to 175 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow fluted dishes). Begin checking the temperature about 5 minutes before the recommended time.
5
Transfer the ramekins from the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
To Store: Wrap each ramekin tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To Serve: Unwrap the ramekins; if condensation has collected on the custards, place a paper towel on the surface to soak up the moisture. Sprinkle each custard with about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (1 1/2 teaspoons for shallow fluted dishes); tilt and tap the ramekin for even coverage. Ignite a torch and, following the manufacturer’s instructions, caramelize the sugar by holding the end of the flame about 1 inch from the surface of the custard until the sugar melts, then burns to a golden brown, proceeding the same way until the entire surface is deeply golden brown and hard. Refrigerate the ramekins, uncovered, to rechill, about 30 minutes (but no longer).
To Serve Right Away: Chill the baked custards as directed in step 6 until they are set, about 4 hours, before serving as directed in step 7.
