Salad of Beet and Fennel with Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 head baby chicory|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 fennel|bulb fennel, sliced paper thin
up to ¾ cup peanut oil
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup #Orange reduction|orange reduction
2 tablespoons (or more) rice vinegar
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ each Thai chile pepper|chili pepper, seeded and de-veined
2 each kaffir lime leaf|kaffir lime leaves - the zest of 1 lime may be substituted
1 tablespoon ginger, fresh, and chopped
1 teaspoon thyme

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.
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.
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.
Gently toss chicory|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.