Wash, pare, and core the apples (the larger they are, the better).
Rub the lemon half well over them.
Put the raisins and dates through the food grinder with about one third of the nuts.
Mix well with 1/4 cup sugar and a light sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Set aside.
Make a sirup of 1 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water and cook the apples in it until they are soft but not broken.
Save the sirup.
Place the apples in a deep dish or pan and gently (so as not to break the apples) press into the space where the core was the chopped raisin date nut mixture.
Put blanched almonds or pecan halves on top.
Dredge the nuts and apples with sugar and brown in the oven.
Soak the gelatin in 1 tablespoon water.
When the apples have browned, remove from the oven and place in a serving dish.
Heat the sirup and add slowly to the gelatin.
Pour the mixture over the apples.
Serve cold, either plain or with whipped cream or ice cream.
A nice variation is the addition to the boiling sirup of red coloring that will give the apples a deep, ruby tint.
However, you will find that the plain, rich, glossy brown color of the natural baked apple is very attractive as is.