As an instructor teaching at a small airfield in Scotland that suffers from some every bad crosswinds I must say that I prefer the "crab" technique. That is wings level, maintain centreline. The amount of drag that wing down creates requires a lot of power to maintain speed add to this the cross controls and the usual amount of turbulence that my airfield suffers in a northerly crosswind and your average student melts in his (or her) seat. Much better to "kick off the drift in the flare and then use wing down if the flare is a little too high.