Oh my, I fought the war and I’ve finally made it to the land of liberty! I’m not sure if shattered cups, arriving with a bad cold in the hot summer, being dumped by the boyfriend on the phone a week later (after pouring one’s heart out by baking and express shipping dozens of cookies, desperately rushing back to try save the long distance relationship), being too depressed/weak to eat for 2 days, being tossed from random home to home, a fridge dropping 14″onto one’s bloody toe then a giant boxer pitbull pouncing on it, having personal packages withheld for ransom, unconvincingly persuading/lying to oneself and everyone that the move to LA was still the best decision (after a social media specialist approaches you with: “My gosh, lady, look at you! You have the facial contours of a potential cute Tokyo Tastemade star… yeah, you shouldn’t have moved back to America”)…are all part of the usual process of moving from Japan to one’s native country. But yes, those are a few struggles I fought through the first few weeks I settled into America. This was clearly the shittiest, most painful (welcome home) transition I’ve underwent. As I’m still recovering as this culturally shocked, disheveled woman (What and where is home? Why are there mean-mug faced scary hairy men with giant tattoos watching me in 711? Why is everyone at work leaving at 6PM? Why did my friends convince me to eat that dangerously fat burrito that caused my stomach to still churn? Why do I have to tip?)….I truly hope none of you readers also suffer through such a horrifying tale.

Surely it is so tempting to curl up, cry over spilled milk, and give up on life. Yet I know that instead, I ultimately have to move on and thrive.

..thrive through cooking, baking, photographing, designing, drawing, building, serving…thrive with all the new, exciting opportunities: my new role as an architect for an international firm in downtown Los Angeles, furnishing and decorating my glorious ~500 sq ft studio, and concurrent/upcoming collaborative culinary projects: submitting a recipe to NoGreaterGood Magazine, prepping and serving desserts to LittlemeatsLA -a culinary community that features experimental dinners from various chefs in LA Arts District, recipe layout designing and photographing for Theumamibox – an Asian meal-kit delivery startup, and of course, new recipes for this blog!

Finally, after all my blood, sweat, and tears, I celebrate my return back to America and spread bright red, white, and blue across the table for you all! I’m folding and pleating my soft crusts and sprinkling all galettes off with sweet turbinado sugar. Americans, Tokyo-ians, Arquitectonians, I present to you my first recipe in Los Angeles: Mini summer fruit galette. Thank you Chan + Sun family for helping me stand up and rediscover my way back into the kitchen. Thank you Chris Y. for inviting me to serve my recipes and meals with LittlemeatsLA. I am going to be the ultimate chefitect, I am going to thrive.

I end this recipe and begin my life in LA with a new favorite song:

“The Head and the Heart – Gone”

…And fuck what they’re saying
My mind is made up
And they’re all just starving
Like the rest of us
And I’m trying here, I’m trying here

Ingredients

• 1 9″ Refrigerated pie crust
• 2 cups Strawberries, blueberries, peaches
• 4 tbsp White sugar
• 2 tbsp Flour
• 1 Egg
• Turbinado sugar

Directions

Step 1.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Step 2.

Slice the strawberries, blueberries, and peaches and place the sliced fruit into a medium or large bowl. Stir in 4 tbsp of white sugar and 2 tbsp of flour. Combine and allow the fruit to soak for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3.

Meanwhile, by using a 3″ cookie cutter, cut as many discs out from the rolled out piecrust and discard the scraps.

Step 4.

Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the center of the pie crust, leaving a 1/2″-3/4″ border. Fold over the edge by pinching into pleats.

Step 5.

Separate the egg and discard the yolk. By using a pastry brush or your fingers, dip and evenly spread the crust with the egg white. Sprinkle the entire galette with as much turbinado sugar as desired.

Step 6.

Bake in the preheated oven at 450 F until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature! Leftovers can be wrapped or kept in an airtight container and saved in the fridge for up to 1-2 days.