Salad of Beet and Fennel with Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients

 * 1 head baby frisée
 * 12 each baby beets, washed, dried, and greens cut to ¼ inch
 * 3 each garlic cloves
 * 12 each strips Reggiano parmesan cheese, sliced with a potato peeler into long strips
 * 2 oranges, segmented. Reserve ½ of 1 orange rind for roasting the beets. Slice with no pith.
 * 1 bulb fennel, sliced paper thin
 * up to ¾ cup peanut oil
 * salt and pepper to taste
 * ¼ cup orange reduction
 * 2 tablespoons (or more) rice vinegar

Orange reduction

 * ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
 * ½ each Thai chili pepper, seeded and de-veined
 * 2 each kaffir lime leaves - the zest of 1 lime may be substituted
 * 1 tablespoon ginger, fresh, and chopped
 * 1 teaspoon thyme

Beets

 * 1) In a bowl, toss beets, garlic, orange rind, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of peanut oil.
 * 2) Pour onto a large sheet of aluminum foil.
 * 3) Wrap the foil into a "package", assuring that air cannot escape.
 * 4) Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender.
 * 5) Once cool, peel beets by rubbing the skin off easily.
 * 6) Cut beets in half.

Orange reduction

 * 1) Add all ingredients except the lime leaves to a saucepot (if using lime zest, add at the beginning with the other ingredients).
 * 2) Bring to a simmer and reduce by half.
 * 3) Add lime leaves and allow to steep like tea until cool.
 * 4) Strain.

Vinaigrette

 * 1) Add salt, pepper and vinegar to the orange reduction and place in a food processor.
 * 2) Gradually add (in a small stream) oil into orange mixture while running, allowing it to emulsify.
 * 3) Once it starts to thicken, stop machine and taste-you may not need all of the oil.
 * 4) Less oil will give a light and pungent flavor, while more oil will mellow it a lot.

Assembly

 * 1) Gently toss frisée, orange segments, fennel, beets, chives and vinaigrette in a bowl.
 * 2) Place in the center of the plate, piling high for a dramatic effect.
 * 3) Top the salad with the long Parmesan strips
 * 4) For a special garnish, reserve some more orange rind. Grate it up and dry it. Sprinkle it over the rim line of the plate.