Cream Of Sun-Dried Tomato Soup

1 qt Milk; whole, low-fat or skim

1 sm Onion; peeled and stuck with

2 Cloves

6 Whole peppercorns (or more)

1 pn Salt

-------------------------------BOUQUET GARNI------------------------------- :Tie in cheesecloth: 6 Fresh parsley stems

1/2 ts Dried leaf thyme

1/2 Bay leaf

--------------------------------SOUP, CON`T-------------------------------- 4 tb Rice flour

-(or barley or oat flour) 4 tb Cold milk (about)

1 pk Sun-dried tomatoes (3 oz)

2 c Water

----------------------------------OPTIONAL---------------------------------- 6 tb Heavy cream

Chopped Herbs for garnish* -(basil, chervil or parsley) 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.