Duck with Cherry Rice Stuffing

Description

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce
• 1 ready-to-cook duckling (4 to 4½ pounds)
• salt and ground black pepper
• ¼ 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 x 20-ounce can pitted bing cherries
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons currant jelly

Directions

1. Season cavity of duckling lightly with salt and pepper.

Stuffing

1. Melt butter in skillet; add onion and celery and cook until tender but not brown.
2. Add rice, peel, thyme, salt and pecans.
3. Drain cherries, reserving juice; measure 1 cup of cherries and cut into quarters.
4. Add to rice mixture; toss lightly to mix well. Stuff duckling.
5. Truss duckling and place breast side up on rack in shallow roasting pan. Bake at 325 °F for 3 hours, or until done.
6. 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

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