Cream of Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Directions

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, cut off the tough ends of the mushroom stems.

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.

Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve back into the saucepan; add the chopped mushrooms and continue simmering 5 minutes.

Add the cream and Madeira, if you wish, and serve in hot bowls, garnished with a slice of mushroom.