Duck with Cherry Rice Stuffing

Description
Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

 * 1 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce
 * 1 ready-to-cook duckling (4 to 4-1/2 pounds)
 * Salt and ground black pepper
 * 1/4 cup butter or margarine
 * 1 cup chopped onion
 * 1 cup chopped celery
 * 6 cups cooked rice
 * 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
 * 1 teaspoon thyme
 * 1 teaspoon salt
 * 2 cups chopped pecans
 * 1 20-ounce can pitted bing cherries
 * 3 tablespoons flour
 * 2 tablespoons currant jelly

Directions
Season cavity of duckling lightly with salt and pepper.

Stuffing: melt butter in skillet; add onion and celery and cook until tender but not brown. Add rice, peel, thyme, salt and pecans. Drain cherries, reserving juice; measure 1 cup of cherries and cut into quarters. Add to rice mixture; toss lightly to mix well. Stuff duckling.

Truss duckling and place breast side up on rack in shallow roasting pan. Bake at 325 degrees 3 hours, or until done. Spoon remainder of dressing into buttered casserole to cook along with the duckling the last hour of cooking, or freeze the casserole for future use.

Sauce: measure 3 tablespoons fat and drippings from duckling. Heat in skillet; add flour and cook over medium heat until flour is browned. Measure reserved cherry juice; add water to make 2 cups. Stir into mixture in skillet; add remaining cherries and currant jelly and simmer until jelly is melted. Serve duckling accompanied by sauce.