Prepare your strawberries by hulling and chopping them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside about 1 cup of the best-looking pieces for garnish. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1 cup strawberries with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Heat over medium-low until the strawberries soften and release their juice, about 5 minutes. Don't boil — you want them gently heated.

Pour the strawberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing gently to extract all the juice. You should have about 1/2 cup of strawberry liquid. While still warm, whisk in the agar-agar powder until completely dissolved (this is important). Let this cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, then pop it in the fridge to chill completely.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream with 2 tbsp powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste until stiff peaks form. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer. Don't overmix or you'll end up with butter — stop as soon as you see those gorgeous peaks. Set the whipped cream aside in the fridge.

Once your strawberry liquid has chilled completely (it should be set but still spoonable), gently fold it into the whipped cream using a spatula. Do this slowly and carefully to keep all that airiness intact. Add the 1/4 tsp salt and fold just until combined. The mixture should be light pink and cloud-like.

Make the crust topping by mixing the crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Toss everything together until it resembles wet sand. I always eat a tiny bite here to make sure it tastes good (you should too, honestly).

Prepare 8 serving glasses or elegant dessert cups. Spoon about 1.5 tbsp of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each cup. Press it down gently with the back of a spoon to create a light crust. Top each crust with the strawberry mousse, dividing it evenly among your cups.

Chill for at least 2 hours until the mousse is completely set and chilled through. Just before serving, top each cup with the reserved fresh strawberry pieces and a sprinkle of pink sprinkles. The mousse should hold its shape beautifully when you dig in with a spoon.