Cream of Sun-dried Tomato Soup

Ingredients

 * 1 quart milk, whole, low-fat or skim
 * 1 small onion, peeled and stuck with
 * 2 cloves
 * 6 whole peppercorns (or more)
 * 1 pinch salt
 * bouquet garni
 * :tie in cheesecloth:
 * 6 fresh parsley stems
 * 1/2 tsp dried leaf thyme
 * 1/2 bay leaf
 * soup, con't
 * 4 tbsp rice flour
 * -(or barley or oat flour)
 * 4 tbsp cold milk (about)
 * 1 pack sun-dried tomatoes (3 oz)
 * 2 cup water
 * optional
 * 6 tbsp heavy cream
 * chopped herbs for garnish*
 * -(basil, chervil or parsley)

Directions
This creamy, vibrant red soup has but 100 calories per serving if you use low-fat milk and no cream. Place the milk, onion, peppercorns, salt and bouquet garni in a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. Form a smooth paste of the rice flour and the cold milk. Put into the just-boiling milk and stir briskly until there are no lumps. Simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the sun-dried tomatoes in the 2 cups of water; do not drain. Strain the milk mixture, add the tomatoes and their liquid, and simmer another 5 minutes. In a blender, in batches, liquefy the soup. Return to the stove and bring just to a boil. Add the optional cream, if desired, and serve in hot bowls garnished with a minced green herb