Hot in the Kitchen: America’s Most Sizzling Chefs

Lianna Tarantin

The Creative: Jordan Kahn

I.D.:  Artist turned chef, 28, whose Vietnamese dishes at Beverly Hills' one-year-old Red Medicine are delectable masterpieces—New York Times critic Frank Bruni compared him to Jackson Pollock—thanks in part to two-and-a-half years as a pastry chef at French Laundry

Hometown: Savannah, GA

Status:  Taken; his girlfriend of a year is opening a wine bar in L.A.

Stick it to the (wo)man:  Last year, Red Medicine kicked out L.A. Times food critic S. Irene Virbila (and posted her picture online); Kahn said they'd rather protect their cooks from her "mean voice."

Kitchen Uniform:  "You'll never see me wear color. My closet is 12 pairs of the same pants, shirts, boxers, and socks—my girlfriend says it looks like Bruce Wayne's."

Turn-Ons:  Besides vegetables and candy ("all kinds, every kind"), Icelandic indie band Sigur Rós

Turn-Offs:  Top 40 radio

His "seal the deal" dish:  A ring-shaped salad made from seasonal ingredients. "It's influenced by British artist Andy Goldsworthy, who does pieces in parts of nature that are untouched," he says. "It's a woman-wooer. Maybe she'd want to wear it as a headdress!"

At Red Medicine, serves two

1 c snake beans, blanched in heavily salted water Bacon X.O. (Kahn's version of the spicy Chinese sauce is at
1 c mushrooms, whole
2 sticks butter
1 clove garlic, minced
Cauliflower, shaved very thin
1 tbsp virgin walnut oil
1 tbsp ground roasted walnuts
Wild herbs (fennel, white clover, radish and mustard shoots)

1. Sauté snake beans until charred. Add the bacon X.O., and toss to coat.

2.  Meanwhile, shallow-fry mushrooms in 350°F oil until golden. Transfer to sauté pan and add butter and minced garlic. Cook until butter browns. Baste mushrooms with butter mix until crispy.

3.  Arrange snake beans in a wreathlike shape on a plate. Place mushrooms and shaved cauliflower around. Top with ground walnuts and oil. Garnish with herbs.

Makes 3 cups; use about 3 tablespoons on a salad for two people

1/2 lb smoked bacon, ground
2 tsp white sesame seeds, ground
1 oz dried baby shrimp, ground
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried chili, ground
1 c Healthy Boy Brand sweet soy sauce
1 c water
1 oz soy sauce

1.  Render the bacon in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat until it has browned and expelled most of its fat, which will become foamy.

2.  Add the sesame seeds and toast in the bacon fat over medium heat. Add the ground shrimp and toast lightly, about 2-3 minutes until light brown.

3.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

4.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the mixture has gotten very dark and slightly thick. It should look like a broken sauce.

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