Whenever you are making a crème brûlée, Crème Catalan, vanilla sauce, vanilla ice cream or other recipes using a whole vanilla bean and you've used all the flavor you can use out of it, instead of throwing it out, rinse it off and dry it out. It will make a great garnish for a dessert buffet, or other pastry display. It is not meant to be eaten, just for garnish only.

Dried Vanilla Bean for Garnish
After you've extended the use of the vanilla bean and the life is essentially over for it, rinse it off well. It will most likely be halved. Lay on a silicone sheet lined baking sheet and bake in a 200 degree oven until it is thoroughly dried. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use as desired for decoration only. Alternately, if the humidity is very low where you are, allow the rinsed vanilla bean to dry out at room temperature.