Citrus salad and candied kumquats

Celebrate Tu B’Shva with chef Laura Frankel's recipes.

By LAURA FRANKEL
Citrus Salad with Beets, Candied Kumquats and Tangerine-Honey VinaigretteServes 4
The beautiful citrus sections or supremes in French, look picture perfect on a plate and are easy to cut. Ingredients-2 cups assorted citrus sections (grapefruit, blood oranges, tangerines, Meyer lemons)-1 fennel bulb, white bulb only, fronds reserved for garnish, shaved on a mandolin or cut thinly and put in acidulated water to preserve the color (water with lemon juice)-2 red or golden beets-1 cup candied kumquats*-2 cups baby spinach or baby arugula or favorite sturdy greens-1/3 cup tangerine juice-2 tablespoons best quality honey-¾ cup best quality extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon-Salt and pepper-Preheat oven to 400 FDirections1.  Start with a sharp paring knife and cutting board. Cut off a small section from the top and bottom of the fruit. This will give the fruit stability and keep it from rolling around.
2.  Cut down the rind from top to bottom following the curve of the fruit. The goal is to remove the rind and the pith (white bitter part) but not the fruit. Continue until all of the rind has been cut off.
3.  Hold the fruit in one hand and cut ½ into the fruit at one of the dividing membranes. Cut on the other side of the segment along the membrane. This should release the segment or supreme. Continue until all of segments are cut out. Squeeze the juice into a bowl and discard the membranes. 4.  Lightly rub beets with the tablespoon of olive oil and wrap them in aluminum foil. Roast the beets until they are easily pierced with a paring knife (about 45 minutes-1 hour). Set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel the beets and slice them into thin wedges.5.  Slice the kumquats into ¼ inch sections and discard the seeds. Drain the fennel.6.  Whisk the tangerine juice, honey and olive oil together. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.7.  Before serving, toss all of the salad ingredients together in a bowl or arrange on individual plates and drizzle lightly with vinaigrette.
Candied KumquatsKumquats are beautiful and irresistibly cute when you see them in the store. They are not for eating out of hand though as they are very sour and bitter and need a bit of WORK before they can be added to your menu. You need to plan ahead at least 3 weeks to candy kumquats. This should not discourage you though. Once candied-the kumquats are delicious and will hold up for several months in the refrigerator in their syrup.Ingredients -3 cups sugar-3 cups water-2 pints kumquats, stems removed
Directions1.  Bring the sugar and water to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Cool completely. 2.  Place the kumquats in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid. Pour the cooled syrup over the kumquats. The kumquats are buoyant and need to be weighted down. I place a piece of parchment paper over them and weight it down. 3.  Place the kumquats in the refrigerator and in 3 weeks the kumquats will have softened and will be sweet and slightly sour. Store the kumquats in their syrup for 2-3 months.