Freedom Crepes

I've been practicing the art of Freedom Cooking recently. More specifically, I've determined that I really enjoy the Freedom version of the pancake, the crepe. They're light, tasty, and fun to make. In fact, they're so easy and fun to make, I thought I'd post another recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:

3 eggs beaten
1 c. milk
1/3 c. water
3 tbsp. oil or melted butter
1 c. flour
(2 tbsp. sugar, if sweet crepes are desired)

Directions:

Mix the liquid ingredients together with a whisk, and then vigorously beat in the flour a couple of tablespoons at a time (to avoid lumpy batter). Heat a 9" inch fry pan over medium or medium-high heat until almost smoking (i.e. pretty damn hot). If it is not non-stick, put one or two drops of oil on pan and swirl them around. Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into middle of the pan and swirl it around to coat the bottom. You should have a thin layer of batter across the bottom of the pan. The batter will cook quickly and turn from white to yellowish. After about 60-80 seconds (more or less), use a fork to lift the edge of the crepe so you can pick it up and flip it over. (This side should be a sort of nearly uniform dark blonde color. If too dark, reduce heat a bit or cook for less time.) Cook the flip side for about another 30-40 seconds. This side will be whiter, with brown circles where bubbles touched the pan. Repeat.

Fillings

Really, you can fill Freedom Crepes with anything you want. For breakfast, though, I suggest one of the following:

Bananas & Honey
Peel a banana and mash it with a fork. Heat it in a fry pan (or the microwave) with a little bit of honey. You don't want to brown it or anything, just heat it up. Fill crepes with mash, roll and serve.

Apples & Mascarpone
One half hour before making crepes peel, core and quarter 2 apples. Slice them thinly into a small saucepan. Add 2 tbsp. brown sugar and a little water. Cover and heat over med. heat, stirring occasionally. Once hot, turn heat down a bit and simmer until apples are tender. Drain liquid into measuring cup. Mix in 4-5 tablespoons (more or less depending on how creamy you like it) of mascarpone, neufchatel or creme fraiche into the apples. Taste. If too cheesy, yer fucked. If not cheesy enough, add more. If just right, fill crepes and roll. Drizzle retained liquid over the crepes and serve.

Notes
This is an easy recipe and a great way to impress members of the opposite sex who may be in your house for breakfast. It certainly impresses my wife... I have a Cafalon 9" non-stick crepe pan, which I usually use for these. I also have an All-Clad 9" stick crepe pan. This works equally well, and gives a more traditional crepe coloring/texture.

Italian Food Alert!!!
If you can make non-sweet crepes, you can make superb manicotti. Prepare a mixture of 1 lb. ricotta, 2 eggs and grating cheese to taste. Make crepes. Fill crepes with cheese mixture and roll. Cover bottom of lasagna dish with marinara sauce. Place layer of manicotti on bottom. More sauce, more crepes, more sauce. Cover with thin layer of mozarella cheese and bake for 35 minutes at 400.