Ingredients:

Vanilla Gelatin

3 sheets gelatin

1 cup water

2 cups Casta Diva wine
(Casta Diva is a wonderfully fragrant Spanish dessert wine - but Sauternes, Muscat des Beaumes, Chappellet Moelleux or Inniskillin ice wine can be substituted.)

6 ounces sugar

2 Tahitian vanilla beans, split and scraped

Summer Berry Salad

1 pint fresh berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries

1 lemon, halved

2 ounces simple syrup

Baby mint and/or lemon verbena leaves, optional

Lemon Granite                                                                                 9 ounces fresh lemon juice                                    9 ounces simple syrup

18 ounces water

Method:

For Gelatin:
Soften gelatin in cold water and set aside. Bring the wine, sugar and the vanilla beans to a boil; turn heat down and simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add gelatin, stir and let cool to room temperature.

When cool, pour into shallow, wide bowls about 1/4 inch tall. Refrigerate until set. Wrap each bowl in plastic to keep odors out.

For Summer Berry Salad:
Puree a handful of berries in a blender, strain out the seeds, and toss with the rest of the fruit. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some simple syrup to adjust sweetness. Add baby mint and lemon verbena leaves, if using. Toss and set aside to macerate. Fruits will have different sweetness and acidity, so remember to taste as you go!

For Lemon Granite:
Combine lemon juice, simple syrup and water. Stir, and pour into a container and freeze 4 hours or up to overnight. Scrape surface with a spoon to shave ice crystals.

To Serve:
Unwrap gelatin. Place the berry salad in the middle of the bowl, making sure to leave a 1-inch border of gelatin. Place granite crystals on top of the berries and serve with spoon.