Chilled Sweet Corn Parfait with Tomato Jelly and Basil Oil

Place the husked ears of corn upright on the cutting board and slice downwards with a chef's knife to strip the kernels, collecting 400g of edible kernels.

Melt the unsalted butter in the medium saucepan over medium heat at 130°C (266°F) and sauté the corn kernels for 4 minutes until tender and fragrant without browning.

Transfer the warm sautéed corn into the high-speed blender, add the whole milk, heavy cream, 2g fine sea salt, and ground white pepper, then blend on high speed for 2 minutes until completely smooth.

Pour the blended corn puree through the fine-mesh sieve set over the medium saucepan, pressing firmly with the silicone spatula to extract all silky liquid while discarding the fibrous skins.

Whisk the cornstarch into the strained corn mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with the whisk until the mixture thickens, bubbles, and reaches 85°C (185°F).

Divide the hot corn pudding evenly among the four 200ml parfait glasses, filling each glass roughly halfway with approximately 95g to 100g of pudding.

Transfer the filled parfait glasses into the refrigerator and chill at 4°C (40°F) for 1 hour until the corn pudding surface is completely set and cool to the touch.

Roughly chop the heirloom tomatoes, place them into the cleaned blender container with 2g fine sea salt, and pulse for 30 seconds into a coarse puree.

Line the fine-mesh sieve with two layers of damp cheesecloth, set it over the mixing bowl, pour in the tomato puree, and allow the clear pinkish-red tomato water to drain by gravity for 30 minutes to collect 300ml.

Pour the 300ml of strained tomato water into the small saucepan, whisk in the agar-agar powder, lemon juice, and optional sugar, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat at 100°C (212°F) for 2 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the tomato liquid to cool on the counter to 45°C (113°F), checking with the instant-read thermometer.

Gently ladle approximately 75ml of the cooled tomato agar liquid over the back of a spoon into each parfait glass directly onto the chilled corn pudding layer.

Return the parfait glasses to the refrigerator and chill at 4°C (40°F) for 1 hour until the tomato jelly is completely firm and glossy.

Bring 500ml of water to a boil in the small saucepan at 100°C (212°F), submerge the picked basil leaves using the slotted spoon, and blanch for exactly 15 seconds.

Immediately lift the blanched basil out with the slotted spoon, submerge it into the mixing bowl filled with ice water to halt cooking, then squeeze the leaves firmly between paper towels until completely dry.

Place the squeezed basil and extra-virgin olive oil into the blender container and blend on the highest speed for 90 seconds until vibrant and hot from friction.

Pour the pureed basil oil through the fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean bowl, allowing the emerald oil to filter through cleanly without pressing the sediment.

Drizzle 10ml of the vibrant basil oil over the firm tomato jelly in each glass, garnish with micro basil sprigs and a pinch of flaky sea salt, and serve chilled immediately.