When a friend told me she made ichigo daifuku (strawberry mochi) using the microwave, I had to try it. This is one of my favorite Japanese sweets, and what better time than now, at the height of the strawberry season, to experiment. Since I had some bittersweet chocolate lying around, I thought I would make a chocolate covered strawberry encased in mochi, instead of the usual anko (sweet red bean) filling. With the Vancouver Olympics in the background, I started on my first daifuku adventure. By the time I dipped all the strawberries in the chocolate ganache and let them sit to harden, Bode Miller (US) just placed first in the Super G with a few more skiers to go.

Using a recipe from the internet by Setsuko Yoshizuka, I doubled it to make the mochi. Now, Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway) just finished ahead of Miller's time to place first.

Wrapping up each chocolate covered strawberry with the mochi, the final results were in: Gold to Svindal, Silver to Miller and Bronze to Weibrecht. And the results from the ichoco daifuku? Not bad. I still need to perfect my mochi making technique, but I'm glad I tried it. Sounds like my skiing and snowboarding techniques....

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than making mochi and watching the Olympics.

Go USA!

Ichigo Choco Daifuku

Makes about 10

10 whole fresh strawberries, washed, dried and leafy tops cut off

Chocolate ganache (adapted from Marcel Desaulnier's Death by Chocolate)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon sugar

170g (6oz.) bittersweet chocolate pieces

Heat the cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan until just boiling. In a heatproof bowl, place the chocolate pieces and pour the hot cream mixture over them. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Mix the chocolate until all the cream is incorporated and the mixture is slightly thick. Dip each strawberry into the ganache until thoroughly covered and remove with a fork to a parchment covered pan. Chill the chocolate covered strawberries in the refrigerator until the mochi is ready.

Daifuku Mochi (adated from a recipe by Setsuko Yoshizuka)

200 g (2 cups) shiratamako

300 ml (1 1/3 cup) water

100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

Cornstarch, for dusting hands and pan

Have a pan or plate dusted with cornstarch ready and set aside. In a heatproof bowl, combine sugar and shiratamako. With a rubber spatula, gradually add the water until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir the mixture with the rubber spatula until the entire mixture is thick and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 2 minutes more or until the mixture puffs up and is slightly translucent. Stir quickly and with hands dusted generously with cornstarch, form the hot, sticky mixture into 10 rounds and place on the prepared pan.

Take the chocolate covered strawberries out of the refrigerator. Take one mochi round and flatten the edges of the mochi to keep the center of the mochi thick. Place one strawberry, pointy side down, into the thick center of the mochi round. Gently wrap the soft mochi around the flat side of the strawberry and pinch to close. Repeat with remaining strawberries and mochi rounds.