Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1       quart           Milk -- whole; low-fat or skim
   1       small        Onion -- peeled and stuck wit
   2                    Cloves
   6                    Whole peppercorns (or more)
   1       Pinch        Salt
                        Bouquet Garni -:tie in cheesecloth:
   6                    Fresh parsley stems
     1/2   Teaspoon     Dried leaf thyme
     1/2                Bay leaf
                        Soup, con't-
   4       Tablespoon   Rice flour
                        -(or barley or oat flour)
   4       Tablespoon   Cold milk (about)
   1       Pinch        Sun-dried tomatoes (3 oz)
   2       cup          water
   6       Tablespoon   Heavy cream
                        Optional
                        Chopped herbs for garnish*
                        -(basil -- chervil or parsley)

Preparation:

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.