Mutton Cutlets with Cucumbers

Ranhofer writes in shorthand: this entry is really an assembly instruction resting on three other numbered recipes. Here is what you need to fill in to cook it.

• What the cross-references meanThe page rests entirely on three other entries: No. 1601 for the preparation and cooking of the cutlets, No. 194 a for the stock the cucumbers are cooked in, and No. 411 for the cream béchamel. Without those three, the page is unmakeable as written.
• The cutletsThese are single rib chops from a rack of lamb or mutton, trimmed so the bone is bare. Eight to ten make a presentable crown; count two per person.
• "Cut the shape of a clove of garlic"This is turning, or tourné: peel and seed the cucumber, cut it into short segments about the length of a garlic clove, then pare each into a tapered oval with flat facets. The point is uniform pieces that cook evenly and sit neatly in the ring, not decoration for its own sake.
• Cooking the cucumberSimmer the turned pieces in stock only until they lose their raw crunch, roughly four to six minutes, then drain well. Cucumber sheds a great deal of water; if it goes into the béchamel wet the sauce will thin and slide off.
• Cream béchamelA standard béchamel loosened with cream and reduced until thick enough to cling. Fold the drained cucumber in off the heat so it stays intact, and keep the mixture warm rather than boiling.
• DonenessCook to about 130–135F internal for pink lamb; the chops will carry over a few degrees as you build the crown.
• Dressing crown-shapedStand the cutlets on a round platter with bones angled outward and the meat overlapping in a ring, then spoon the cucumber into the well. Work fast and warm the platter first, as an arranged plate cools quickly.