Crushed Berries with Hibiscus Jelly

Ingredients

• 8 servings poached berries 
• 1.5 cups blackberries 
• 1.5 cups blueberries 
• 0.5 cup crème fraîche 
• 1 cup hibiscus flowers dried
• 0.8 teaspoon gelatin powder unflavored
• 8 servings hibiscus jelly 
• 3 cups raspberries 
• 3 cups strawberries hulled sliced
• 0.5 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground grains of paradise* or mixed black with 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom finely
• 1 teaspoon ground grains of paradise* or mixed black with 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom finely

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• whisk
• blender
• potato masher

Directions

1. Make jelly: Bring 1 cup water and the sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally to help sugar dissolve.
2. Remove from heat and stir in hibiscus flowers. Cover and steep 15 minutes, then strain syrup into a small bowl and discard flowers. Meanwhile, pour 1/4 cup water into another small bowl.
3. Sprinkle gelatin over and let soften 5 minutes.
4. Whisk warm flower syrup into softened gelatin until dissolved. Chill at least 6 hours and up to 3 days. Stir the jelly to loosen before using.
5. Crush berries: Right before serving, crush berries in a bowl with a fork, pastry blender, or potato masher.
6. Spoon berries into 8 dessert bowls. Stir jelly with a fork to loosen, then spoon over berries. Top each bowl with a spoonful of crme frache and a sprinkling of grains of paradise.
7. *Find hibiscus flowers (jamaica in Spanish) at Mexican markets. Grains of paradise look like black peppercorns but have a softer flavor that combines pepper with ginger, cardamom, coriander, and nutmeg. Find them online at savoryspiceshop.com
8. Make-ahead & packing tips: Jelly, 1 to 3 days ahead; keep chilled in an airtight container. Crush berries at the beach.