Trouble With Toast

Dinner on Saturday night was a new and delicious recipe–from the playbook of Mr. Bam! himself. I’ve never attempted an Emeril Lagasse recipe, and it turned out incredibly well. The Essence seasoning gave the shrimp a great flavor, and the jalapenos added wonderful heat.

• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

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 it is al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and 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 jalapenos 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 of Essence, remaining 1 1/4 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.

Emeril’s Essence 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 oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. It will make about 2/3 cup, so you can use the remainder as a rub on pretty much any meat.