Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place cream and vanilla bean extract into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add cream incrementally while stirring continually. Pour the liquid into ramekins. Place ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until crème brûlée is almost set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove ramekins from roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove crème brûlée from refrigerator for browning the sugar on top. Evenly coat the top of each crème brûlée with sugar. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow crème brûlée to sit for at least 5 minutes in the freezer before serving to crisp sugar and cool center. Remove from freezer and serve.