Shrimp and Pasta in a Tomato-Chile Cream Sauce

Talk about packing a punch!! WOWZA! This dish is simply incredible but WOW was it SPICY! I wish I would have taken Elizabeth's advice and halved the spices because WOW! Chris and I joked that it was GREAT after the first 4-5 bites because by then your tastes buds had been nummed enough~ But this is an impressive dish, in it's very easy to make but taste like it's from a restaurant!
stolen from Elizabeth’s Edible Blog!
Modified from an Emeril Lagasse Recipe

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup kosher salt (or just regular salt like i have)
* 1 pound linguine (not sure if i used a pound, i used a package)
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 2 tablespoons Essence
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
* 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeño
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 11/2 cups heavy cream
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup diced tomatoes ( I used canned diced tomatoes to save time)
* 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
* 1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese (so i could only find a block of Monterey's Jack cheese so i used that and Mozzerella b/c i was also out of Parmesan)
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (omitted)
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (I omitted the basil)

Directions
Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir the pot until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes. Drain a reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the Essence and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and add the shrimp to the pan. Sear the shrimp until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions and jalapeños to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon (I used 1/2 tablespoon) of Essence, remaining 1 1/4 (I used 3/4) teaspoons of the salt and the pepper to the pan

and bring to a boil.

Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Return the shrimp to the pan, and add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat and add the Pepper Jack, Parmesan, parsley and basil and toss to blend.

Serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme