Preheat oven to 325F (163C). Prepare a deep baking pan or roasting pan in which to cook the custard.

Place the egg yolks into a large mixing bowl and whisk vigorously until they are pale in color and ribbon off the whisk; set aside. Into a saucepan, add the remaing ingredients: cream, sugar, vanilla, optional vanilla bean and salt. Whisk to combine the ingredients, then cook over medium heat until the cream is steaming hot and the sugar dissolves.

Temper the hot cream and egg yolks. Pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolks, whisking after each addition until all the cream is added. If any clumps are visible, strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer.

Ladle the custard into small ramekins or short mason jars, measuring 4 to 6 ounces, filling the cups almost to the top. Set the filled ramekins into prepared baking dish. Fill the pan with boiling water until the ramekins are half submerged.

Bake the creme brulee in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of your ramekins. The center will remain wobbly. Remove the ramekins from the oven and the tray and set into the refrigerator to cool and set for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, sprinkle an even layer of sugar over the custard, then use a food torch to caramelize the sugar. Do not touch the melted sugar until it hardens - it becomes molted hot! Top with fresh berries and serve with a wedge of lemon.

BROILER METHOD: if you don't have a food torch, the oven broiler will also work well. Set broiler to 'high' and arrange the ramekins on a baking dish. Broil for a few minutes, or until the sugar is caramelized and bubbly.