Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta of choice until it's al dente. During the last minute of cooking, drop in the asparagus and cook for that whole minute. Drain the pasta and the asparagus. but make sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.

If the shrimp isn't cooked and peeled yet, do that now.

While everything else is boiling, place a deep skillet on the stove but make sure it has sides high enough to hold the finished pasta and all the other ingredients. Pour the cream into the skillet and bring to a low heat. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt.

Stir in 1 Tablespoon the butter until it's melted and blended, and then add the other Tablespoon. Once the cream and butter are incorporated, adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste. Stir in the cooked shrimp and cut tomatoes.

Stir in the drained pasta and asparagus and then add in the 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water. Heat and serve immediately with parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, and fresh chopped basil for garnish.