Clam Dip Super Bread Bowl

By KeyIngredient

Ingredients

• 1 (24 Oz.)
• Round Loaf French, italian or other unsliced crusty bread
• 2 (8 Oz. Each) Pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 (6-1/2 Oz. Each) Cans Chopped Clams, drained (reserve 1/4 cup liquid
• 2 Tbsp Grated Onion
• 2 Tbsp Beer (your Favorite Brand)
• 2 tsp Each Worcestershire Sauce & Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Tabasco or Hot Pepper Sauce, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Parsley Sprigs, for garnish; optional
• Raw Vegetables, for dipping (carrot sticks, red pepper slices, brocolli, etc.
• Toasted Bread Cubes From Inside The Round Loaf

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 250 Deg. F. (120 Deg. C.).

With sharp knife cut a “lid” from top of the bread (like from a jack-o-lantern); set aside. Hollow loaf, leaving a 1-1/2 to 2 inch thick shell;
Cut removed bread in cubes for toasting; set both aside.

In large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth; stir in clams, the reserved clam liquid, onion, beer, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Tabasco and salt until well blended.

On baking sheet make a cross with two long sheets of foil (long enough to cover loaf).

Center bread shell in middle of foil cross. Pour clam mixture into shell; cover with the bread lid. Lift up each of the 4 ends of foil and completely wrap loaf.

Bake in preheated 250 degree F. (120 deg. C.) oven 3 hours for flavors to blend and clam mixture to get piping hot. NOTE: Toast bread cubes on a cookie sheet in the oven during last 5 minutes baking time.

Unwrap bread from foil--remove top; sprinkle dip with parsley. Serve loaf on large platter surrounded by the toasted bread cubes and raw vegetables for dippers. When empty, the bread shell can be cut or torn apart and eaten (*it will have absorbed some of the wonderful clam dip).

When bread bowl contents are all gone, you can rip apart and eat the bowl, which has absorbed some of the filling.