The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne IN

One of the perks of being a food writer is that not only do you get to create and test recipes, you also get to try all kinds of new and interesting products.

For the past few weeks my UPS man has been busy delivering all kinds of new specialty products that I ordered online. While many of the products are available in specialty stores, most are not available in my neck of the woods, hence the online ordering.

I won’t bore you with the less than stellar offerings I tried; only those new items I think are truly worth the effort to seek out, order and eat. All have a price point that is excellent for value of the product and they all arrived in perfect condition.

My most favorite food find so far this year was the Kissel’s Spiced Jams. These six jams are a marriage of fruit and spices and unlike any jam I’d ever tasted before. They were great with everything from hard, aged cheese, soft dessert cheeses and wines, to glazing meat and fish. I spoke with owners Carla Kissel and Ben Shelton to get a feel for the people behind the product. They said it was their goal to create jams that are all natural, preservative free and totally unique in the marketplace. I say they succeeded.

The deep rich flavors of the fresh fruit paired with the “mouth pop” and smoothness of the fresh herbs and spices make them all my new favorites. They were great with brie, triple crème, cheddar, fontina and Havarti cheeses, as well as salami, chicken and pate. Each combination was as good as the last. The six flavors available are Apricot Rosemary, Plum Tarragon, Cherry Fennel, Peach Coriander, Strawberry Basil and Blueberry Lavender. You can order them online at www.spicedjam.com.

I crave crunchy snacks on a regular basis so I ordered Crispbreads from 34 Degrees Crispbread on the suggestion of a restaurateur friend of mine. She serves this Crispbread, along with bread, and her patrons love it so much that she constantly has to order extra. Crispbread was originally created to be a cracker alternative to be served with cheese or with hors d’oeuvres.

The Crispbreads come in four flavors: cracked pepper, natural, sesame and rosemary, which was a finalist in last year’s NASFT Sofi awards, taking home the silver. You can order them and all their crunchy goodness at www.34-degrees.com.

I have a sweet tooth, and it loves caramels. Yes, I usually make my own but for a pound of Bequet Gourmet Caramels I’d gladly give up my recipe. Each batch of caramels is handmade, supervised by a master caramel maker. They are all natural with no artificial colors, flavors and no preservatives. There are 10 flavors available, and the Celtic sea salt, chipotle, espresso, salt-chocolate, maple and black licorice will redefine the concept of what a great caramel is. You can order them all by going to www.bequetconfections.com.

In keeping with my sweet tooth I’d like to introduce you to the Snap. OK, so what is a Snap you ask? A Snap is a melt-in-your-mouth, crispy, shortbread cookie coated in powdered sugar with a surprise “snap” of sweetness tucked inside the center. This indulgent Southern treat can be ordered at www.flathausfinefoods.com. It comes in cinnamon, butterscotch, key lime, peppermint, raspberry and get this, cheese straws. The cheese straws have a tiny hint of chipotle that will keep your taste buds begging for more.

My pledge to find gluten-free products for my readers with celiac disease has never dimmed, and I want anyone with the need for a gluten-free product to zip over to www.doodlescookies.com. This company offers gourmet organic and organic gluten-free cookie mixes. Their varieties include organic chocolate chip, gluten-free sugar cookie and gluten-free nut butter. The chocolate chip variety has the added benefit of being low fat, while the organic gluten-free varieties offer a delicious option for those on a gluten-free diet.

While all of these products stand on their own I found that the Kissel’s jams were a perfect ingredient to add to my everyday dishes to give them a little something extra that made great recipes truly something impressive.

Here are two recipes that include the Kissel’s Spiced Jams.

Salmon with Apricot Rosemary Salsa

The salsa would also be delicious over chicken or pork.

For salmon:

1 to 2 pounds salmon fillets

Salt and pepper, to taste

Smokey paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Season the fillets with the salt, pepper and paprika. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, checking at 8 minutes. It will be done very quickly. You can serve this salmon hot, cold or at room temperature. Just before serving, top with the Apricot Rosemary Salsa. Serves 4.

For salsa:

4 ripe apricots, thinly sliced

2/3 cup Kissel’s Apricot Rosemary Spiced Jam

3 tablespoons finely diced sweet onion

1 red jalapeño, seeded and sliced into rings

1 green pepper, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Tarragon Turkey Lettuce Cups

12 ounces turkey breast (you can use deli turkey), cut into bite-size pieces

2 fresh plums, pitted and diced

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/4 cup minced red onion

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream

1 tablespoon white wine or rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons Kissel’s Plum Tarragon Jam

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, toasted

12 romaine or bibb lettuce leaves

In a bowl, combine the turkey, plums, celery, red onion, mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, jam and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir in the almonds just before serving. Spoon about 1/4 cup mixture into each lettuce leaf and serve. Serves 4 to 6.