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
Directions[]
Beets[]
- In a bowl, toss beets, garlic, orange rind, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of peanut oil.
- Pour onto a large sheet of aluminum foil.
- Wrap the foil into a "package", assuring that air cannot escape.
- Bake in a preheated 350 °F oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender.
- Once cool, peel beets by rubbing the skin off easily.
- Cut beets in half.
Orange reduction[]
- Add all ingredients except the lime leaves to a saucepot (if using lime zest, add at the beginning with the other ingredients).
- Bring to a simmer and reduce by half.
- Add lime leaves and allow to steep like tea until cool.
- Strain.
Vinaigrette[]
- Add salt, pepper and vinegar to the orange reduction and place in a food processor.
- Gradually add (in a small stream) oil into orange mixture while running, allowing it to emulsify.
- Once it starts to thicken, stop machine and taste-you may not need all of the oil.
- Less oil will give a light and pungent flavor, while more oil will mellow it a lot.
Assembly[]
- Gently toss frisée, orange segments, fennel, beets, chives and vinaigrette in a bowl.
- Place in the center of the plate, piling high for a dramatic effect.
- Top the salad with the long Parmesan strips
- For a special garnish, reserve some more orange rind. Grate it up and dry it. Sprinkle it over the rim line of the plate.