Cream of shiitake mushroom soup

1. This rich, earthy soup has but 100 calories per serving if made with non-fat milk.
2. Place the milk, onion, peppercorns, salt and bouquet garni in a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil.
3. Form a smooth paste of the rice flour and the cold milk.
4. Put into the just-boiling milk and stir briskly until there are no lumps.
5. Simmeri over very low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cut off the tough ends of the mushroom stems.
7. Reserve a few mushroom slices for garnish and chop the remaining mushrooms coarsely, then place in a food processor with a steel blade and chop as finely as possible.
8. Straini the milk mixture through a fine sieve back into the saucepan; add the chopped mushrooms and continue simmering 5 minutes.
9. Add the cream and madeira, if you wish, and serve in hot bowls, garnished with a slice of mushroom.