Pinot Noir Granita W/Fresh Summer Raspberries and Black-Pepper

So elegant, I'd make this for a special event. The granita must be prepared a day in advance. Freeze wine glasses for several hours before serving. When making tuiles, form into organic shapes, "The stranger the better," advised Paul Connors of Bacio, Ciao Bella and Zelo. Recipe yields about 20 cookies; store additional tuiles in tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to three days. From the Minneapolis Tribune.

• Ready In: 24 hrs 8 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• For Granita

• 1⁄2 cup  plus 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 3⁄4 cup  fresh-squeezed  orange juice
• 1 (750 ml) bottle  excellent-quality  pinot noir wine
• 2 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 1⁄4 cups  superfine sugar

• For Tuiles

• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 3  egg whites
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3⁄4 cup flour
• 2  teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

• Garnishment

• 3 1⁄2 pints fresh raspberries
• 5  sprigs of fresh mint (to garnish) (optional)

Directions

1. To prepare granita: Pass lemon and orange juices through a fine-mesh strainer and into a large, shallow, nonreactive container that can be frozen (stainless steel works well). Add wine to juice.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water and superfine sugar and bring to a boil, washing down sides of pan with water and a pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Add hot syrup to juice-wine mixture and mix well. Freeze overnight. Scrape granita with a large metal spoon and re-freeze for at least two hours.
3. To prepare tuiles: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 10 minutes, until fluffy and very light. Add egg whites, one at a time, scraping bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
4. In a small bowl, combine flour and pepper and add to butter mixture all at once, mixing until just combined. Chill batter for at least two hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, take teaspoon-size pieces of dough and flatten with a small offset spatula into a very thin layer, making random shapes that will fit inside a wine glass as a garnish. Bake approximately 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to wire rack and cool completely.
6. To assemble: Spoon a little of frozen granita (mixture should be slushy ice crystals) into frozen glasses and add 3 or 4 raspberries, then add more granita and more raspberries in layers until glasses are 7/8 full. Garnish with mint sprigs and one black-pepper tuile per glass. Serve immediately.