Preheat oven to 325 F.

In a medium heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1/4 cup of caramel sauce, and 2 tablespoons sugar until a pale yellow color is achieved.

In a saucepan on medium-low heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Once it has reached a simmer, remove from heat, add salt, cut the vanilla bean vertically then scrape the vanilla bean into pan and stir. Remove about a ½ cup of the hot mixture and, in a slow stream, constantly whisk into the egg yolks so they don’t cook. Once the entire ½ cup of hot liquid has been transferred to the egg yolks, pour this mixture back into the warm cream and stir.

Place 4 ramekins in a deep 13x9 baking pan. Using a large glass measuring cup, fill the pan with hot water until it reaches about halfway on the ramekins. Avoid getting water inside of the ramekins. Pour the custard mix evenly into all 4 ramekins. Carefully transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it reads at least 170 F on a thermometer.

Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and move them to a cooling rack to cool for about an hour. Place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.

When getting ready to eat, sprinkle 1 tbsp of granulated sugar evenly on top and caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch. I would not recommend using a broiler to caramelize the sugar because it does cook the top layer which results in an eggy texture.