6 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped into ⅛-inch cubes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 pitted oil-cured black olives, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon pickled ginger, very finely chopped
½ tart green apple (such as Granny Smith), cored, peeled and chopped into ⅛-inch cubes
1 small shallot, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
⅓ cup mascarpone cheese
Crackers, for serving
Directions
In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, add the orange juice, orange zest, honey, thyme sprig and carrots and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the carrots to a large plate to cool (discard the thyme sprig).
Increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer the orange juice mixture until it is reduced by about half, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil.
Transfer the cooled carrots to a medium bowl and stir in the olives, ginger, apple, shallot and tarragon. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to mold the carrots into a disk shape (or mound them free-form) on each of 4 plates, using the rounded side of a spoon to compress them before removing the mold. Drizzle with the reduced orange sauce. Top with a spoonful of the mascarpone and serve with crackers.